
Engagement photos are one of my favorite things to photograph! I love the time with my clients and the opportunity for us to get to know each other, and I love the creative element that comes with an engagement session. This can be so many things since everyone's relationship is different and every couple loves doing different things! I've touched a bit in the past about personalizing your session with an activity or location you love, but I want to talk a bit about the lighting now.
Lighting for your session has a much bigger impact on the overall vibe than most people realize. The viewer of the photos will interpret them differently without even realizing it. You can get a moody looking or a bright, vibrant look just by changing the time of day a little bit. A lot of people have heard of Golden Hour, but a lot have not heard of Blue Hour. When you're planning your session, it's a good idea to consider this.
Golden Hour
Golden Hour is the window of time roughly 40 minutes before the sun sets. The sun is low on the horizon and casts a beautiful, dynamic golden glow. It's gorgeous, romantic light, and most photographers prefer to shoot during this time. It really does turn out amazing results!
Blue Hour
Blue Hour is the window just after the sun goes down. It's a smaller amount of time than Golden Hour, and instead of golden light, as we go into a shadow behind the horizon of the Earth, we are cast in a soft, moody blue hue.


Weather and Seasonal Light
Weather can really throw a loop around plans for lighting. A cloudy day will cast a completely different kind of light. Have you ever had your photo taken by a photographer who is using large studio lights? Notice the white umbrellas or softboxes they use over their lights? Clouds kind of work the same way with the sun--softening it. A cloudy day can definitely be your friend, especially if you're trying to be outdoors during a time with the sun is high up in the sky. And a thick cloud cover will cast a flat light. This can good or bad, depending on the look you're trying to achieve. If you're wanting a fun, vibrant vibe to your photos, you probably won't like this look. But if your'e going for something more moody and soft, you'll probably be okay with it. As long as the weather isn't too crazy, I've even done session with this light in a gentle rain, and I've done some with light snowflakes falling. It adds an extra fun element to the session, but is almost impossible to plan for.
The time of year is also worth noting. In the winter and early spring, you'll see a lot more gloomy days with lots of cloud cover. During those times, the light is also a little less golden, in general. But in the summer and fall, you'll see lot of bright golden light and sunny days! Plan accordingly.

How the Photographer Adapts
As a photographer, I have to make it work in a lot of different lighting situations. We can't always plan for everything that will happen in a session, so we just have to know how to work with the light and be ready.
I, personally, like to include a little of both Golden and Blue Hour in my engagement sessions. But some couples aren't a fan of the darker, moodier blue vibe. So in those instances, we plan our session a little earlier to take advantage of the most vibrant light. Too early, and the light is super harsh, so we have to use directions or find an environment that will be conducive to the vibe we're looking for.
I've also had to adapt to sessions in weather. I try to bring an umbrella with me in case it rains and my couple wants to take advantage of the moody light and the rain in their photos! And snow on the ground can really make things interesting if it's sunny out because it then reflects the bright light up from the ground.
No matter what my couples and I decide our goal for the sessions is, we always figure out the perfect place and time of day to accomplish it!