Shooting during the golden hour is something that many photographers
want to master. It consists in capturing the very natural golden light of the
sun, at sunrise or sunset, when a magical, mystical and in some way even
unearthly effect is created. It would seem that difficult in such a shoot? In
the end, you just need to make time for a photo to take when the sun rises or
sets, right? However, this is not all. There are many factors to consider when
doing this.
How to Fake
First of all, inappropriate weather can interfere with your
shooting. There will be days when you will not be able to have a photo session
on the street due to ordinary rain or, possibly, even a storm warning. And
sometimes the weather conditions may be ideal for your plans, but already at
the moment when you get to the desired location, clouds will begin to gather.
Secondly, there may be options when you will be constrained
by clear time frames and simply will not be able to meet them. Thus, you won’t
be able to wait for the perfect weather to shoot at the golden hour.
These are the cases when the sun, which, after all, is the
main character of the golden hour, will be inaccessible.
Do not worry, as there are actually a few tips and tricks
that will help you if you are stuck in the most adverse conditions during the
shooting or just do not want to depend so hard on time.
Tips and tricks for creating the illusion of lighting the
golden hour
The golden hour has its own specific characteristics. Each
photo should show warm and soft light, golden skin tones and good backlighting
(the brighter the better). Even without going outside, without taking off early
in the morning or at dusk, this can still be achieved. And here are some simple
tips for creating such an illusion.
The basic equipment for simulating golden hour lighting is
as follows:
1.
gels of golden, yellow or
light orange color (CTO gels can also be used, and then adjust the white
balance);
2.
external light source
(monoblock or remote flash ; any option is suitable) as the main source of
lighting;
3.
a "light" lens
for soft background focus (most often used in portrait shooting to create a
bokeh effect );
4.
various neutral density
filters to avoid overexposure of images in case you use a wide-open aperture,
for example, f / 2.8 or more (the ND filter helps to balance the exposure of
the image).
Below are more detailed tips for capturing a recreation of golden hour lighting.
Decide whether you will shoot indoors or outdoors.
In this case, you can shoot both inside and outside the
house. Taking pictures in the room will be easier, because in this way you will
have more control over lighting and gels. All the tips and tricks in this
material are aimed at shooting indoors.
Use multiple flashes and various gels.
You will need a powerful flash for the background, use a
golden gel filter. If you can’t find a gel of exactly this shade, use
alternative colors, for example, light orange or yellow. Remember to place the
flash in front of or behind the window. Light refraction can be achieved by
directing the flash to the window.
Another thing to keep in mind when creating lighting to
simulate the light of a golden hour is the loss of flash power depending on
camera settings. High Speed Sync (or HSS - High Speed Sync) doesn't work
very well when it comes to re-creating the golden hour lighting due to
inconsistent recharge times. For example, if you use the flash at full power with
a shutter speed of 1/1000, aperture of f / 1.4, and ISO 100, you lose 5-8 steps
of light.
Use an ND filter to avoid high speed sync.
One solution is to use a 3-5x ND filter that reduces all
light by 3-5 steps and allows you to use slower shutter speeds to keep the
flash at normal sync speed . As a result, power will increase by 5-8 steps.
Consider increasing your ISO. For example, you can set the
shutter speed to 1/60, the aperture to f / 1.4, and ISO to 200, at full flash
output you will get a power of 1 step (or 200%). However, if you increase the
ISO to 640 with a shutter speed of 1/200 and aperture at f / 1.4, this will be
equivalent to 2.5 steps or 600% extra power. Ultimately, we get more energy
from our equipment using an ND filter, increasing the ISO speed and
accelerating the shutter with each ISO step.
Outline the foreground using a weaker flash.
Use a weaker flash for the foreground and make sure it is
coated with gold, orange, or yellow gel. Put the gel on the flash.
It is important to use light scattering - this way you can
achieve a soft glow. Be sure to direct the light to the side, not the
foreground. Find a good gold reflector and softbox. The reflector is designed
to direct light onto the wall, and the softbox to create directional light.
That is, direct the light to the foreground using the softbox to achieve the
desired effect.
In order to get a good sun flare when you recreate the
lighting of the golden hour, you must first place the object between the camera
and the light source in a position in which the light does not distort details
close to its face. Instead, in portrait photography, the flash needs to be
barely visible to preserve the highlighted detail close to the subject’s head.
If you completely close the flash, the backlight of the image will be
noticeably greater than in the case of a real golden hour.
Place the light behind the heads of the subjects and slowly
back aside to reveal more and more light until you find enough light for a
perfect shot. Since the amount of glare will be different, be sure to take a
few pictures to get the image you want.
Shooting technique "Through the window"
If your room has a window or even several, use them. Place
the flash right outside the window - the object will look as if it is
"basking" directly in the sun. This technique is called “through the
window” and is ideal for taking pictures indoors or when there is no sunlight
or when you are simply forced to shoot at the wrong time of day.
Nobody canceled the correct camera settings!
When shooting indoors, it is especially important to
properly configure the camera. Every photographer knows that the settings will
vary depending on location. The most important factors to consider are
aperture, ISO, and shutter speed.
Slow shutter speeds and wide apertures are necessary if you
ultimately want crisp images with almost perfect focus. Be sure to place the
camera on a sturdy tripod to avoid blurring the image . With slow shutter
speeds, it will be easier for you to capture more light. Wide aperture adjustment
is necessary for clear images.
In addition, you should keep the ISO value below 200. Or at
least try to keep it below 1000 if you have no choice. A low ISO value means
more dynamic range and less noise in your photo.
To obtain brighter or more unearthly images, you should
adhere to the following settings: low aperture, high shutter speed, and the
correct ISO value for light balance.
Adobe Lightroom - to the rescue!
Don’t forget that post-processing is also a great helper in
creating various effects, and here Adobe Lightroom comes into play. There are a
number of simple methods that can be useful in creating the illusion of
lighting a golden hour. In particular, you can use the latest version of
Lightroom (starting with version 5), which has a radial filter that can be used
to create a sunny look. Proper mixing is important, but this technique also
uses a split tint panel and a slider to adjust the backlight, especially if you
want good, natural colors.
Golden hour photographs are always best taken ... during the
golden hour. But for those situations where circumstances are not ideal and do
not play to your advantage, there is nothing wrong with using the above
recommendations to create high-quality photos with an imitation of this ideal
effect. As always, do not forget to practice, because, as in everything that we
do, this is the only way to achieve perfection.
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