Why Golden Hour Family Photos Are Worth the Hype (+ Tips to Make It Easy & Stress-Free)

Quick Tips

Apr 14

Golden hour—just before sunset—might seem like a tricky time for a family photo session (hello, bedtime battles and snack o’clock), but trust me, it’s so worth it. That soft, golden glow makes everything feel magical, and it creates the kind of warm, timeless images that you'll treasure forever. If the idea of wrangling your kids during “the witching hour” sounds stressful, don’t worry—I’ve got you. In this post, I’ll break down why golden hour family photos is the best-kept secret for stunning photos, plus give you simple, real-life tips to make the whole experience smooth, fun, and totally worth it.

What is golden hour and why is it best for family photos?

Golden hour is that magical hour to hour and a half before sunset where the light is super soft and glowy. It can make even the most mundane of things look magic, and that my friend is the type of lighting you want for your family photos. Because it’s not as harsh as earlier in the day, it softens facial features and gives you a glow like you just slept for a week straight. It is my FAVORITE type of light and inspires me all the time. Pictures can be taken at other times of day, but lighting will be more harsh and it will be sooo much harder to avoid emphasizing things you really don’t want emphasized. Let me give you a real life example: you know when you’re leaving to go shopping, you check the mirror and everything looks great, and then you get in that changing room and BAM! you look like you’ve aged twenty years in two seconds? That’s all about lighting. Want some examples? See this instagram reel in real time to see how light affects the hollows beneath my eyes and the wrinkles on my face. Also see the photos below-the one on the left is golden hour, the one on the right is overcast. While I still love both of these images, the light coming through mom’s hair, creating a halo around her little girl’s hair, and shining through the trees in the background just adds so much warmth and magic to the image. I love the image on the right, but light is definitely more flat and more prone to shadows on the face and in the hollows of the eyes.

Girl in blue dress in between parents excitedly smiles at camera

Dad with kids in lap and surrounding him smiles as his daughter leans over to see baby sister's face

Here in the PNW summer is the BEST time to get photos done-everything is green (well, mostly), there’s less chance of rain, the summer’s aren’t usually too hot so you won’t be a sweaty mess, and outfit planning is a bit easier when you don’t have to think about cute ways to keep your kids warm outside for an hour. BUT the sun sets later here, so golden hour sessions may interfere with bedtime. I understand your hesitation, I do! Thinking about trying to keep a grumpy kid happy for an hour right when they go to bed is not for the faint of heart. Don’t worry, I got your back.

Here are a couple tips and work arounds for golden hour sessions:

Do a sunrise session

Depending on your kids and their normal sleep cycles, this could be a lot easier than a sunset session. We’d want to start shooting about ten minutes before sunrise, so August might be a better bet since the sun rises a little later and you could sleep in just a bit more. But it’ll still be that gorgeous glowy light with the added benefit of your kids waking up from a full night’s rest.

Pick a location where optimal lighting is earlier:

Because of all the trees here, some locations loose light quicker than the typical hour before sunset. This is another great option to get glowy light filtered through the trees a little earlier than witching hour aka bedtime.

Adjust your nap schedule for that day:

If you do decide to stick with a sunset session, try to alter your kiddos napping schedule so they’re taking naps a little later and possibly a little longer than usual. If falling asleep in the car would normally mess with their bedtime, maybe allow them a ten-minute catnap so they’re fresh for the session.

Bring snacks:

I learned a long time ago that if I want happy kids in almost any scenario, bring snacks. It will keep that hangry feeling at bay, and give them a little something to look forward to.

Family laying down on backs laughing with yellow flowers by their heads

Bring pajamas and comfort items:

If the session location is a bit of a drive, bring pajamas and your kid’s favorite stuffy or blanket so they can start falling asleep on the way home so bedtime is hopefully a little smoother you.

Plan a reward:

Whether it’s a fun treat, special time spent with you, or a fun outing, an incentive is always a good thing to have in your back pocket for kids (or teens) who may be having a hard time.

Let your kids be kids:

Let me tell you a secret-I will take a silly and energetic kid over a perfectly behaved kid any day. Why? I want to document your family and kids how they really are, and kids play! If your kid is quiet and more reserved, great! If your kid is rambunctious and full of energy, great! The key is to let them be themselves-let them be silly, let them be loud, let them run around. They’re not going to ruin the experience by being themselves, they’re going to make the photos more real, more you.

Let go of perfection:

As a perfectionist I know from experience this can be a super hard trap to avoid falling into. Just remember that the point of the session is to document your family as it is right now and while we all want that smiling everyone looking at the camera photo, it’s not how real life is usually. Real life is a glorious beautiful mess-and capturing that with your families reminds me to look for the good through the chaos in my own life.

That’s it for today! I’d like to thank you for coming to my Ted Talk about golden hour sessions, ha ha. If you have any concerns or any questions, please let me know! You can email me and ask away-I really want to make getting family photos a fun experience.