Last summer I did my first golden hour shoots for families. Golden hour is the period of time shortly before sunset (and after sunrise) when the sun is low in the sky. It creates beautiful light where the sunlight is soft and warm, making for really magical images. It inspired me so much, I even took my own boys after bedtime!
It can take a bit of bravery from parents to give the kids a bit of a late night, but it’s well worth it. It’s best to think of it as a bit of a unique adventure – you’d let the kids stay up late for a family party or wedding so why not for a magical photo shoot? We do all the things that you would do on my usual lifestyle family photography sessions – games, races, cuddles and giggles, but we do it at sunset in a stunning hilltop location – Coombe Hill in Buckinghamshire. I’d like to share with you some of the different families I’ve photographed and to assure you it’s not as scary as you might think!
My first family had a six year old so definitely not too young for a late night and they bought their dog Freddie along. It was a really special shoot as Mum was about 33 weeks pregnant so I was lucky enough to be able to get some beautiful bump shots for them too. Olivia was such a sweet girl, and she had a lot of fun messing around with Mum and Dad making wonderful memories on a hot summer’s evening watching the sunset.
My second family had two boys who I had the pleasure of meeting in my lockdown doorstep days! They were keen on the idea of a sunset shoot and getting some photos before their eldest, Elliott started school. The youngest, Reuben (3 years) had been under the weather and the skies were not looking promising for us in the day, but we all decided to go for it and it was the most amazing shoot!
The boys were on great form after 5 minutes or so warming them up with some swinging through the woods. It was lovely getting some gorgeous interactions between them, getting them to run races, being chased by Mum and Dad, and pretending to be cheetahs in the long grass, about to pounce on me! Once we’d tired them out they went for a cuddle to watch the sunset.
“The boys were so excited about the shoot – the staying up late, the laughing and all the fun of it. We’ve got some brilliant photos and some amazing memories to go with them.” Emma and Stu
My latest family photographs at golden hour were with siblings Grace and Stanley, who have the most gorgeous bond. Stanley is only two years old so we basically followed his lead, letting him explore and play with Grace to get the best out of him, and they had the best time. I can’t wait to photograph some more family sunset magic this summer!
If you like what you see and you’re interested in a golden hour photo shoot this summer, please let me know if you’ve got any questions or if you’d like to get booked in, please drop me an email tanya@aldcroft-photography.co.uk
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