Landscapers and favorite time of day

**gevalia** · 18-Sep-2011, 05:21

I'm about to head off on vacation and this year I will also be doing a bit of night shooting. I got to thinking about how I get into a groove where I shoot mostly at certain times of the day.

So what is your favorite time of the day to shoot and why?

Regards,
Ron

**IanG** · 18-Sep-2011, 05:40

Early morning or late evening (afternoon) are excellent times because you get nice soft cross lighting when the sun's low.

On the other hand I've also made some of my best images during the hot mi-day sun.

Favourite has to be evening light though around dusk.

Ian

**Greg Miller** · 18-Sep-2011, 05:59

Without a doubt it is early morning for me. Mornings often have misty ground fogs or fog over bodies of water that add a lot of interest and play with the light. Evenings occasionally have that but not nearly as often as morning.

**Peter York** · 18-Sep-2011, 06:50

Early morning. Everything is fresh and crisp, including myself. The dust in the air has settled, the wind is low, the lakes are calm, the flowers aren't moving, and the wildlife is out and about, except for the humans.

**gevalia** · 18-Sep-2011, 07:02

Originally Posted by Peter York

Early morning. Everything is fresh and crisp, including myself. The dust in the air has settled, the wind is low, the lakes are calm, the flowers aren't moving, and the wildlife is out and about, except for the humans.

Peter,
Is that dawn, before sunrise, or after sunrise?

**Peter York** · 18-Sep-2011, 07:19

Mostly after sunrise, but I'm up eating/drinking coffee about 1 hour before the sun appears.

**Greg Miller** · 18-Sep-2011, 07:24

Some of the best light happens 30 minutes to an hour before sunrise. I'm usually on location an hour before sunrise.

**Bruce Watson** · 18-Sep-2011, 07:33

Originally Posted by gevalia

...what is your favorite time of the day to shoot and why?

Any time of day is good for me. Any type of conditions, from rain and snow to bright sun. A day out photographing beats a day doing just about anything else! Just sayin'.

The challenge is in finding an image you want to capture in the light you have available. There are *always* images available, in any kind of light, at any time of day. The question is: can you see them? The danger of getting in a rut and only shooting at certain times of day or under certain conditions (we all know people who won't even venture out unless it's cloudy) is that you loose the ability to "see" in less than optimal conditions.

But to answer the question, I too have a preference for golden hour conditions. But where many like it for the color of the light, I like it for the textures it brings out -- I tend to shoot B&W during the golden hour. Go figure...

**Jon Shiu** · 18-Sep-2011, 08:26

Afternoon and evening. Just after sunset.

Jon

**Peter York** · 18-Sep-2011, 09:14

Originally Posted by Bruce Watson

Any time of day is good for me. Any type of conditions, from rain and snow to bright sun. A day out photographing beats a day doing just about anything else! Just sayin'.

I agree 100%.

While early morning is my favorite time, this does not correlate with my best pictures, B&W and color. My default philosophy is to basically wander around until I see something that triggers my brain to yell "Wow!" I like this style because it constantly challenges my previsualisation.

On the other hand, there is much to be said about pre-planning an image and waiting for the right conditions. The challenge for me here is boredom/lazyness.