Three Tips on Getting Beautiful Sunset Wedding Portraits
Without a doubt, the 30-60 minutes before the sun sets is the best lighting of the entire day. It is often referred to as “golden hour” because of the color and softness of the light at this time of day. I will not go into all of the specifics, in terms of what is good lighting – but you definitely want to take portraits at this time. Here are three wedding photography tips on getting beautiful sunset wedding portraits.
Figure Out What Time the Sun Will Be Setting, Schedule Your Wedding Timeline Around It
The very first thing you will want to do is figure out what time the sun will be setting. There are many ways to do this. If you have a Google Home or Amazon Alexa device, just asking them what time the sun will be setting is easy! If not, Time And Date is a great resource. Once you have figured out the time the sun will be setting, you’ll want to adjust your wedding timeline to have a break for portraits in the final hour that the sun is setting.
Make Sure to Scout the Location Beforehand
Another thing that you will want to do is to scout the location for the portraits beforehand. This is because you will need to be facing away from the sun while it is setting. The sun will set at a particular angle and you will want to make sure that the sun and you will be positioned properly. If you are unable to take a look at this yourself, someone at the wedding venue should be able to give you a hand.
You will also want to consider if the sun will be obstructed by anything as it is setting. For example, if the sun is scheduled to set at 7:30 PM, it may be blocked by a building at 7:00 PM.
Make Sure To Compensate For Things Running Behind
Lastly, I recommend planning the sunset portraits with consideration of things running behind. In my experience, there are several things that can cause certain parts of your timeline to run behind. And this may affect the timing of your sunset wedding portraits. If things are too far behind schedule, it may result in not being able to capture these portraits at all. Being organized and adding in extra time will ensure that you get all of the wedding portraits you planned for!
Hopefully these tips on getting beautiful sunset wedding portraits have been helpful! Remember, find out the time the sun will be setting, scout the location beforehand, and compensate for things running behind. If you can manage to do these three things, you’ll capture some beautiful wedding portraits!
