The Best Times Of the Day To Take Pictures

Dress - GAP | Shoes - Treasure & Bond (my best spring shoe buy! So comfortable) | Bag - Kayu | Sunglasses - Illesteva (similar here) | Ring - Kendra Scott 

I'm so obsessed over the lighting in these photos! I met up with my photographer, Paula, on this particular afternoon to take some pictures, and the light was so beautiful. I recently began working with a photographer for some of my posts, and I thought I would share some of her tips on when are the best times of the day to take photos. It truly can make all the difference, and can be helpful especially if you want to dabble in photography for a hobby, or just take fun photos of your family and friends for memories or to put up around the house. Here's some tips from Paula:

1. What are the best times of the day to take photos? The first is either super early in the morning, starting about 30 minutes before sunrise until about an hour after (typically 7-9am). The second best time of the day is approximately 2 hours before sunset (6-8pm). One hour before sunset is typically referred to as the "golden hour", and the early evening light gives the photos a warm look and evens out skin tones. Don't discount middle of the day photos however (12-2pm) which are some of my favorite photos to take lately. You can always find a shady spot if needed, but with the middle of the day sun you are able to get a well lit photo and keep colors true to themselves.

2. How would your photos differ if taken at those key times? Photos taken during 7-9am and 6-8pm are about the same since you are able to place the sun behind your subject or directly facing your subject. If you plan to take photos during 12-2pm, you need to focus on avoiding shadows under the eyes. The best way to avoid this is to have your subject tilt their chin just a bit towards the sky to allow the sun to hit their face evenly. 

3. What are the ideal weather conditions for taking photos? You really can't beat beautiful sunny days when taking a well lit photo, with the ideal time being right before sunset. However, cloudy days get a bad rap for not being the best, but actually they are some of the best lighting conditions for photos! You can pretty much take photos anytime during the day and not worry about shadows on the face. Cloudy days can also make colors stay truer in pictures and give a little extra pop if wearing a colorful outfit. 

Thanks so much to Paula for sharing these quick and easy tips! While I don't focus on photography as the main point of my blog, I still love to create beautiful imagery when putting together a blog post or sharing details on an outfit. It's one of my favorite parts of blogging, and allows me to stretch the creative side of my mind (I tend to be a bit more analytical in nature). I love to share images that are both inspiring and pretty to look at, while also being useful (i.e. showing how an outfit can be styled, the actual color of an eyeshadow palette, the way a room is decorated, etc.).

Hope you found this helpful! Even if you just want to play around with photos of your family to put around the house, knowing these few tips on best times of the day can help them look their best! 

Photos by Paula Bartosiewicz

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