Golden hour Wedding Photography: Sun flares, sun glow, sunbursts, sun wraps and sun modifiers
Golden hour wedding & Engagement Photos In Montreal and Beyond
100% real sun with effects created in-camera.
Have you ever noticed how a word can sound strange when repeated too often? Similarly, overthinking can really mess with our minds. I experienced this not long ago when I came to the realization that photography is a profession reliant on the sun. There’s this colossal fiery ball in the sky that sustains all life on our planet that has burned since the dawn of time, and I use it at work.
There is no photography without light, but how you use that light is both skill and art. While I do use artificial sources of light when needed, there is an undeniable romance in late day sun. Atmospheric effects give us a unique sky every time there is a visible sunset. The toolkit and knowhow of the photographer can harness those effects for dreamy, curious, and cool results that enhance the love story being told. There is still probably a subset of photographers who believe that these errant sun effects ruin photographs, but many (like me) believe they can add artistic elements. The caveat? That they are created intentionally and they aren’t accidents.
Here are a few that I have created in my work, and I’ve named them all!
The Rebel Sun Wrap
This is my favourite sun technique because it gives me the feeling of free-spiritedness - it’s unpredictable and a little unruly. It’s also rarer than the other effects. While the sun is behind my couples, the angles, the strength of sun, the clouds and technical camera and lens details create the effect of the sun wrapping around them like a big hug. It adds a really dynamic and energetic effect to a photograph.
This engagement photo at the Old Port of Montreal has a rebel sun wrap, as the sun finally peeked out from hazy clouds that finally lifted after earlier rain. It has a fuzzy texture with some colours, adding to the warm and fuzzies that the couple is already feeling!
This image taken at the Golf Club of Montreal was one of the first rebel sun wraps I created. It has a sun flare as well but in that exact angle and in lowering exposure of the overall scene, it became a super saturated beam of light that hugged them. It gives some golden energy into an otherwise calm and peaceful moment.
2. The Soft Starburst
The soft starburst is probably the most common one because it’s fairly easy to create. The trick is the get the sun peeking at a pleasing spot and dial in the right the camera settings. It’s soft and romantic. In this case I moved around until the starburst was right at their hearts to create a strong visual signal of warmth and love between them.
This photo was also taken at the Old Port of Montreal. It has also been an overcast day with threatening clouds passing overhead. The cloud cover was low but the sun had a few minutes to shine brightly before sinking below the horizon. Timing is everything!
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Lucy is a
Montreal WEdding Photographer
I’m here to photograph your joy, and [hopefully] make you ugly-cry (even if in private or just on the inside!)
My mission is your dream wedding.
Photo Credit: Talia Dezso Photography
3. The Ninja Sunstar
Soft and romantic has a place but sometimes the energy of a couple is a little edgier and they like things a little spicier. In comes the Ninja Sunstar. Same idea as the Soft Starburst, but a few adjustments and the starburst rays become more like blades — sharp and defined. The effect is graphic, fun, and super cool!
This couple who are sassy ballroom dancers really suited a Ninja sunstar. I positioned it between their hands and it’s like they sparked a star of electricity like something out of sci-fi movie! I don’t often turn sunset photos black and white because colours are usually so spectacular, but when a photo contains strong graphic elements, stripping away the colour brings focus to the shape.
4. The Lazy Hazy
Lazy days can be synonymous with sun. Think sunbathing on a beach listening to gentle waves, or poolside in a lounger with a good book. We can feel slow, sleepy and dreamy; far away from cubicles and traffic. Bathing a photograph and a couple in a lazy, hazy sunglow makes a moment feel laid back, at ease and nostalgic.
This couple took a relaxed stroll along a path headed back to the reception hall at the Ile Bizard Golf Club. An unhurried moment where they could breathe and enjoy the day before heading into an exciting evening. The sun added to the sense of relaxation.
This intense sunset was at Jack Layton Park in Hudson, Quebec. Nearing the end of our session, the couple sat to feel the warmth on their faces and take a break from the walkabout we had done around the park. The backlight caught those tiny little bugs which gives the scene a natural and summery feel.
5. The Flarey-Tale
The sun flare is probably the most common lens effect we see in general in photography, and it has a telltale elongated beam of spheres, lines and crescents. They can be hard to control and can create weird light effects on people’s faces and bodies if not careful. Lines are often used in photographic composition and a line of sun flare really isn’t too different as it aims to direct the eye. In the photo below, the light crescent at her elbow serves to set a visual boundary, to bounce the viewer’s eyes back to their faces. Its orange colour also echoes the orange colour of the tree to the left of the couple.
This Fall engagement session at Mont Saint Bruno had a very sunny day; easy for a sun seeker to get creative with sun flares. In this case a Rebel sun wrap didn’t suit the scene, so I opted for a flare.
7. The Sun Hack
While the sun is beautiful all on its own, it can still get a little help from its friends: light modifiers. I have an array of prisms, crystals and even piping hardware. Kids (at weddings or during family sessions) just love them but so do many adults because the effects are fun and playful. Modifiers not only create interesting sun refraction effects, but they can also serve to “hide” things like fences or cars that sometimes surround the areas being photographed. I also use them in spots where there are fairy or twinkle lights, or even chandeliers that already created refraction effect with their crystals. You can really amplify romantic lighting with modifiers where a couple feels that they are inside a starry night.
The landscape is very pretty at Chateau Vaudreuil, and the tree at sunset is an amazing spot. But to either side it’s just plain lawn, so I decided to add my circular prism to fill the edges with some light effects. It also mimics the shape of the tree, softening the edges of the frame and bringing the viewer’s attention to the middle. The couple becomes sandwiched between the prism’s effect and the sunset just above them. A sunset sandwich!
8. The Sun Halo
I’m still working on creating this effect with humans in it! A halo effect is one created when light refracts through ice crystals, and not many opt for winter weddings or engagements. The halo I captured was at Cape Spear in Newfoundland in late December. When I came to this angle of the lighthouse I could see the faint halo already with my eyes and it was just so big and stunning and looked like a portal to another dimension! It had a pulled, wind-blown effect due to the clouds — because it was quite windy at the edge of the earth! Cape Spear is the most eastern point of Canada and in fact North America, and is the first sunrise on the continent. Will have to continue to work on this one!
Which is your favourite?
