Oct 24.
For my fellow Photographers!
Someone mentioned to me the other week that 'Blue Hour' should be renamed to 'Blue 15' because you definitely don't have that much time to capture! Gearing yourself with these tips will help you feel prepared for photographing in this magical time.
Tip 1 - SHOOT IN AN OPEN SPACE
You will need to utilise as much natural light as possible during this time, so an open wide space will give you lots to work with. Locations I love to photograph at include beaches and fields. Using a wide angle lens will also help you capture the beautiful soft tones of the sky (extra points if you can get the moon in the frame).
Tip 2 - FACE THE SETTING SUN
Facing your subject towards the sun and where it is setting will help light up the person with the remaining light. The sky is usually all sorts of soft pastel colours on the opposite side so these will be in your backgrounds.
Tip 3 - SHOOT RAW
Okay I know this may seem super obvious... but it's a definite must in order to edit the complexity of shooting in such low light. RAW files with give you the highest quality image possible and allow for creative freedom in post production.
Tip 4 - EXPOSE FOR MID-TONES
Typically we expose for highlights during golden hour, but in this lighting condition exposing too high may render your shadows too dark. When exposing for mid-tones, you should be able to retain detail in your highlights (the skin and sky) while also keeping detail in the shadows.
A good rule of thumb for camera settings:
Shutter: 1/200
F stop: wide open eg/ 1.4, 1.8, 2.0 or the widest your lens goes to
ISO: 800 + (Don't be afraid to crank this up)
Tip 5 - USE KELVIN FOR WHITE BALANCE
If you use auto wide balance it will try to "correct" the blue tones and will render them more neutral. I prefer to set my white balance manually so it captures the temperature of the light my eyes see. My usual Kelvin settings sit between 6,000K - 7,000K.
TIP 6 - WORK QUICKLY
Typically we get between 15 - 20 minutes of blue hour light. It's useful to have the shots you are wanting already in your head so when the times comes, you will know how to pose your subject and where to capture them. Then work quickly and capture this magical time of the evening!
If you follow some of these tips and give it a go yourself, I'd love for you to tag me so I can see all your beautiful shots!
@gracepetrie.photography
Comments