Golden hour in Gauteng

Photographers talk about golden hour as if it were the same everywhere. On the highveld it is not. At 1,400 metres, with dry winter air and summer afternoons that build into storms, the light around Centurion has its own habits. This is how outdoor sessions are timed to meet it.

What golden hour actually is

The period after sunrise and before sunset when the sun sits low, its light travels through more atmosphere, and it turns warm, soft and directional. Shadows are long and gentle. Skin looks its best. On a clear highveld evening the usable window is about seventy minutes, and the last fifteen are the ones on the portfolio.

Month by month, roughly

• December to February: sunset around 19:00. Sessions start about 17:45. Afternoon storms are common, so a morning slot from 05:45 is the reliable alternative and is beautifully cool.
• March and April: sunset around 18:15, moving earlier. The grass turns gold, the storms fade. The best outdoor months of the year.
• May to July: sunset around 17:30. Dry, clear, cold once the sun goes. Winter light is crisp and the veld is pale. Bring a coat for between frames.
• August and September: sunset 17:45 to 18:00, windy in August, blossom in September. Hazy evenings give soft, pastel light.
• October and November: sunset around 18:30. Jacarandas in October, the first green in November, and the return of afternoon cloud.

Exact sunset times shift by a few minutes each week; sessions are booked to the sunset of the actual date, not the month.

Overcast is not a problem

A bright overcast sky is a giant softbox. Colours go rich, there are no harsh shadows, and the session can run at any time of day. Many of the best family portraits are made on grey afternoons. Rain is the only weather that moves a session, and it moves to the next open date at no cost.

Midday, if it must be

Sometimes the only time that works is 11 in the morning. Then the session is planned for open shade: under trees, on the shaded side of a building, in a garden with cover. The light there is even and flattering. What is avoided is standing in full sun at noon, which squints eyes and hollows faces.

Blue hour and after dark

The twenty minutes after sunset, when the sky goes deep blue and city lights come on, give a moodier look that suits couples and editorial work. It needs a little extra lighting and a plan, and it is worth asking for.

How this changes your booking

Outdoor sessions are booked to a start time calculated from the sunset of your date, not to a round hour. You will be given a precise time, and a meeting point, a few days before. Arriving fifteen minutes early matters more for golden hour sessions than for any other kind, because the light does not wait. The locations guide pairs each setting with the time of day that suits it.