8am Facing East: As Golden As it Gets
We only saw the direct sunlight a few times this week in the mid-day. This is the view from my office facing east at 8am. Tomorrow is the same.
"Rain! whose soft architectural hands have power to cut stones, and chisel to shapes of grandeur the very mountains."
Henry Ward Beecher
Assignment
Warmth, Tranquility, Contentment... just a few things I tend to feel when I'm watching a low Sun. I hope you do too, this week during Golden Hour - soft, golden light that happens twice each day. Golden Hour, or "Magic Hour", is usually considered to be the first "hour" after sunrise and the last "hour" before sunset. Golden Hour is when light is diffused and soft and the shadows are long and less harsh than during the day - that means you get more evenly exposed images. Portrait, Nature and Landscape masterpieces are easier to create in this sort of light. Golden Hour offers pretty directional light, so your composition needs to account for the angle and direction of the sun. You could use light flares as a creative choice and shoot into the light or use the shadows to add more depth and dimension to your scene. Since this challenge is time constrained by Nature, you might need more than a day or two to get that masterpiece exactly the way you want. Remember, the length of golden hour will vary with where you are on the planet and the time of year. Plan your shooting accordingly. Some golden hours last minutes, and others last hours.
