P#13 Q2: Is There a "Best Time of Day" to Take Landscape Photos?

The Early Bird...

Jennifer Wu: This is a very good question. We always hear that sunrise and sunset are the best times to take landscape photos because of the beautiful lighting. Midday, on the other hand, is the time of day that most landscape photographs are taken.

We've seen so many photographs of midday landscapes with blue skies. I tend to not photograph the blue sky too much because there's just so much of it out there. It's not as compelling or interesting.

My favorite time to get landscape photos is sunrise. There isn't as much pollution in the air as there is at sunset. It's a little cleaner and crisper. You get beautiful colors with sunrise light before the sun actually rises.

I really like taking shots with that lighting. Those twilight hours are really fantastic -- right before the sun has risen and after the sun has set. Those are some great times to take landscape photos.

The Shadow Effect

I don't do too much shooting during the midday, but when I do, it's usually on an overcast day. I love overcast days because then I can photograph all of the flowers in the details of the scene and not include the sky in the shot. I can get some great soft light on the land and that always looks great.

If it's a really bright and sunny day, then I might look for shadows or shadow patterns created by branches and twigs or various things.

Audri Lanford: Can you explain a little bit more about those shadows? That's something I hadn't heard.

Jennifer Wu: Yes. One example is the shot I took of snow with branches and twigs coming out of it. The shadows of the branches on the snow were creating a pattern. It was very striking.

Shadows create their own look and give a shot a whole different feel. The shadows become a part of the image. They add to it.

There was a branch or a twig that I had photographed on the side of a cliff, and the shadow pattern of it landed on the side of the cliff and had such a unique shape to it that the shadow in and of itself was interesting and compelling to look at.

In Summary

You might think that the best time of day for landscape photography is when the sun is high in the sky, but this isn't usually the case according to Jennifer Wu.

The crack of dawn or the evening sunset is often the best time to photograph - but don't overlook the shadow shots that midday can provide. Midday shadows can sometimes make great landscape photos all by themselves.