Why is Golden Hour So Special for Your Family Photo Session?

Golden hour, the hour before sunset, is a special time of day for taking portraits. It’s the number-one time of day requested by families, and for good reason: the backlighting it provides bathes a family in gorgeous, warm, flattering, soft light. The images usually need limited retouching, and the experience itself of seeing and feeling the sunlight on your back (instead of squinting into the sun) is relaxing.

Recently, I had the pleasure of photographing a college friend’s family in Indiana. He and his young adult children (all in their 20s) gifted his wife a portrait session with me for Mother’s Day. In May, I sent her a wooden keepsake box. In the box was a message that told her we would coordinate to plan the look and feel of the upcoming session (using a Canva.com mood board) remotely via Zoom, and, in the interim, we would save a mutually agreed date and rain date on both of our schedules.

Scheduling a family session with young adults requires some balancing on both the family’s part as well as my own schedule. Unlike preschool or school-aged children, young adults have their own lives, including work, time with friends, volunteer commitments, vacations, and sometimes their own partners. The matriarch of the family is often calling, texting, and/or emailing to determine a date that works for all of her kids. This can be a frustrating task, and clients can give up on this before even trying. I act as a coach to spur them on in ways that feel organic to their family’s communication style to secure a date. I do my best to make it work in my own schedule because I know, as a mom, how important it is to have dedicated time as a family and timeless portraiture of the family all together.

One of the reasons I love photographing families with young adults is because it can be that intermediate time before they commit to partners, such as marriage, where the new daughter-in-law or son-in-law is now in most or all upcoming family photos. That’s not a bad thing, but it can be super special to capture the unique connections between siblings and parents before this major milestone occurs. Capturing these transitions is one of my favorite things to do for my clients…for you!

Often young adults have moved away early in their academic or college careers, so that time together as an entire family feels magical. Even if siblings live near their parents, it can be difficult to align work schedules.

But it is SO worth it.

Why?

Because when I ask a mom what some of her absolute favorite photos are, she often doesn’t mention her own wedding photos. She tells me about the family photos that capture her kids’ unique personalities, photos that are usually taken at a social occasion like a holiday, birthday, or vacation.

So I encourage you to talk to your young adult kids and find a time to carve out a photo session with me. Sometimes that means coordinating time on a holiday (I do family portraits near/on most holidays), or on a birthday, or meeting up with you during your vacation! Let’s brainstorm ways to make this happen!

For example, when I travelled to the family in Indiana this past weekend, it was because one of the young adult kids is about to move out of the country for an internship. This next weekend, I’m going to another county to photograph a family that I photographed eight years ago! I meet families where they are, so please reach out with your special situation.

Because having that family photo with your young adult kids is the best feeling in the world.

Not to just capture a moment, but because creating new experiences together is amazing.

I love creating fun experiences where young adults share joy with their parents.

Time is fleeting, just like golden hour. Don’t wait for it.

Schedule it.

Prioritize it.