Golden Hour on Overcast Days (Page 2): I thought the Golden hour was about light. just say'n :D...

GAH1944 Loc: SW Mich.

soaro77 wrote:

As everyone knows the golden hour is the best time to shoot most outdoor pictures. But what I'm wondering is if golden hour is still important on overcast and rainy days? I shoot a lot of waterfalls and typically just go during the day since this time of the year it is overcast and you get soft light all day. But I'm wondering if I would get even better pictures by going during the golden hour even on an overcast or rainy day or if it really wouldn't change anything?

I thought the Golden hour was about light. just say'n :D

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

GAH1944 wrote:

I thought the Golden hour was about light. just say'n :D

It is but I wasn't sure if it would give off the nice warm glows under a cloudy sky that it does under a clear sky. I haven't really noticed it much on cloudy days since most the time I'm at work when the sun comes up and don't really get to see it.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

soaro77 wrote:

As everyone knows the golden hour is the best time to shoot most outdoor pictures. But what I'm wondering is if golden hour is still important on overcast and rainy days? I shoot a lot of waterfalls and typically just go during the day since this time of the year it is overcast and you get soft light all day. But I'm wondering if I would get even better pictures by going during the golden hour even on an overcast or rainy day or if it really wouldn't change anything?

You know the answer to your own question. Would the Golden Hour apply indoors? So if the light is flat at dawn or evening or noon the light is flat. As above it has to do with the "temperature" of the light. Red is "warm' Blue is "Cold" Grey is neutral. Hence the neutral grey card

Photographer Jim Loc: Rio Vista, CA

boberic wrote:

You know the answer to your own question. Would the Golden Hour apply indoors? So if the light is flat at dawn or evening or noon the light is flat. As above it has to do with the "temperature" of the light. Red is "warm' Blue is "Cold" Grey is neutral. Hence the neutral grey card

Just for the fun of it, 😈 Technically, red light is actually cool light and blue light is warm light according to the Kelvin scale. It is based on the infamous black body's behavior as it is heated. At a lower temperature the black body will glow red. As it heats up it will become yellow, white, and then blue. Of course artists and the majority of us use the terms warm colors and cool colors in just the opposite way. As a painter I always referred to red as a warm color. As a photographer, I always refer to red as a cool light temperature color. Such fun!

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

We went up to the waterfall and were driving there at sunrise and it really didn't look any different than it did later except it was a little darker. The pictures came out great in my opinion.

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

We went up to the waterfall and were driving there at sunrise and it really didn't look any different than it did later except it was a little darker. The pictures came out great in my opinion.

thephotoman Loc: Rochester, NY

soaro77 wrote:

As everyone knows the golden hour is the best time to shoot most outdoor pictures. But what I'm wondering is if golden hour is still important on overcast and rainy days? I shoot a lot of waterfalls and typically just go during the day since this time of the year it is overcast and you get soft light all day. But I'm wondering if I would get even better pictures by going during the golden hour even on an overcast or rainy day or if it really wouldn't change anything?

On a cloudy or rainy day the golden hour will be dark as others have stated. What I do often, even during a bright true golden hour, is adjust my white balance to give me a different effect. You will have to play around with it to get what you find pleasing. I have the capability to actually adjust the temperature without presets. This has given me many interesting looks.

drizztguen77 Loc: Tualatin, OR

thephotoman wrote:

On a cloudy or rainy day the golden hour will be dark as others have stated. What I do often, even during a bright true golden hour, is adjust my white balance to give me a different effect. You will have to play around with it to get what you find pleasing. I have the capability to actually adjust the temperature without presets. This has given me many interesting looks.

That is a good point. I usually set my WB to cloudy on those overcast days (most of the year here in Oregon) although all that can easily be adjusted in post process.

Dun1 Loc: Atlanta, GA

mcveed wrote:

I agree. It's just darker.

I agree the Golden Hour may become either the dark gray hour, or a less bright version of the Golden Hour.