The Golden Hour

Robert Wood - Golden Horizon 1952 

The Golden Hour is officially the first and last hour of sunlight each day, so it occurs at both sunrise and sunset. The scientific explanation for the golden glow you see is that as the sunlight moves through the atmosphere closer to the earth (near or at the horizon) it is dispersed and scattered. With the cool, blue light of the distant atmosphere being scattered, only the warmer, more reddish wavelengths remain.

It’s a delicate and swiftly changing effect – the devil to capture while painting on the spot. You have to work quickly – with no time for second-guessing. One strategy for this is to pre-mix your colors so you can quickly dip into them. It’s also a good idea to arrive on-site early in order to get yourself situated and properly set up to capture what could be only a momentary light effect. You may even want to scope out the spot for a few days beforehand (at the same time, during the same weather) just to get an idea of what typically transpires in terms of light and shadow and to familiarize yourself with the site specifics.

On the other hand, you may just want to pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the scene!