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Magic Hour Photographer

Magic Hour Photographer is a photograph taken during the “Magic Hour”, the time for landscape photography.

Landscape photography often takes place during the time of day called the Magic Hour. It is also called the Golden Hour. I have been known to be a Magic Hour Photographer

The Magic Hour takes place during the first and last hour of daylight during the day. The quality of light is superb at this time of day, giving a golden glow to the landscape.

The light is softer and less harsh, more diffused. During the Magic Hour the light is warmer. Due to more of the blue light in the light spectrum being scattered, the light from the Sun appears more reddish.

This warm color enhances the scene of the landscape for a photographer.

I learned about the Magic Hour from studying the photography of Galen Rowell. Quoting him: “Twice each day the cool, blue light of night interacts with the warm tones of daylight. Luckily for color photographers, these events, though predictable, are not consistent. For a full hour at either end of the day colors of light mix together in endless combinations, as if someone in the sky were shaking a kaleidoscope.” Galen Rowell (1940-2002)

Working the Magic Hour takes some dedication and commitment to your art. Sometimes it means getting up hours before the start of the day at dawn. Driving for hours in the middle of the night to get to your photo shoot site in time for the Magic Hour. Sometimes it means skipping a good dinner at the end of the day. It can mean staying at the photo shoot site at the end of the day while others are enjoying a cozy, warm and delicious dinner.

This particular photo was taken at the Marin Headlands in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on a sunrise shoot at the Golden Gate Bridge. The fog rolled in and covered the Golden Gate Bridge with fog just before the Magic Hour started.

Although the bridge was no longer bathed in the warm light of the Magic Hour, I thought that Magic Hour Photographer picture was the image of the moment.  Magic Hour Photographer of another photographer captures the moment of defining the Magic Hour for a landscape photographer.