Quality of light makes or breaks a photograph

Photographs of The Ipoh Railway Station below were taken by me on different day and at different time.

Picture #1
Picture #2
 
The first picture was taken on 14 June 2014 at 2.50PM meanwhile the second picture was captured on 21 December 2014 at 8.22AM

The first picture was taken in the afternoon at about 2.50PM. The weather was overcast with scattered clouds resulting in uninteresting and flat lighting which means no pronounced highlight and shadows can be seen in the picture.  This resulted in a dull, uninspiring and uninteresting picture.

For the second picture, it was photographed in the morning.  Although the weather was cloudy in the early morning I waited patiently hoping that the clouds blocking the sun would move away.  At about 8.20AM the sunlight pierced the cracks among the clouds and it directly illuminated the front facade of the Ipoh Railway Station. So I jumped at the opportunity and clicked away as I have positioned my camera and tripod earlier.  The occasion lasted only about 10 minutes before a group of clouds came and hid the sun again.

Nevertheless I was delighted as I managed to bag more interesting pictures where the historic building was bathed in the beautiful early morning sunlight during the 10-minute opportunity.

In outdoor photography we are totally dependent on the natural light.  That said, it's critical to find the right time of day to shoot your outdoor scene. The perfect solution to this is to find the "golden hour".

What is the Golden Hour?

The golden hour, sometimes called the "magic hour", is roughly the first hour (or probably a bit longer than an hour) of light after sunrise, and the last hour of light before sunset, although the exact duration varies depending on the weather and the movement of the sun. During these times the sun is low in the sky, producing a soft, diffused and yellowish (warm/golden cast) light after passing through dust and mist particle in the atmosphere which is much more flattering than the harsh midday sun (Example shown in the first picture).

This type of light produces less contrast, reducing the chances of losing parts of your subject in blocked up shadows or washed out highlights. The warm/golden glow adds a pleasing feel to the scene, and the long shadows help to pick out details, adding texture, depth and three-dimensionality to the image.

The golden hour rule is applicable to any type of outdoor photography. As well as the more obvious subjects such as landscapes and city scenes, it also works well for outdoor portraits, shots of flowers and plants, and even certain types of still life such as vehicles.

However, the golden hour/magic hour light can only be found during clear weather when the sunlight illuminates the scene directly without being blocked by any clouds.

Below are some eamples of my photos taken during the golden hour either in the early morning or the late evening.

Happy shooting!

Ipoh Railway Station
The Ipoh Railway Station - the morning golden hour

The Perak Museum of Taiping
The Perak Museum of Taiping - the morning golden hour

George Town Dispensary Building, Beach Street
George Town Dispensary Building, Penang - The evening golden hour

Transplanting the rice seedlings
Transplanting the rice seedlings - The morning golden hour

Sin Seng Nam Restaurant
The former Sing Seng Nam Restaurant - the evening golden hour

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