Shooting Locations With No Golden Hour Light

There are a few locations you'll encounter in landscape photography that don't get golden hour light. This video discusses a few examples of those locations and a few ideas of what you can do when you find yourself without golden hour.

Some of the most sought-after landscape photography locations in the world don't get sunrise or sunset light, otherwise known as golden hour. Yosemite and Zion National Park are great examples and can both be difficult to photograph because you'll find compositions you love that never get the light you want. Within this video, I make a quick stop in Zion and discuss some of the challenges that occur when shooting in a valley where both sunrise and sunset light gets blocked by massive towers of rock formations. 

Thousands of photographers visit places like Zion or Yosemite every year, trying to photograph them in their own way but finding themselves locked into the same locations as everyone that preceded them. Never feel ashamed for taking the same shot everyone else does, but also don't hesitate to branch out and try finding shots that work with different light. Of course, there are known spots you can find in any area, but the challenge comes in trying to find unique perspectives when the light is restricting your options.

I would love to hear you or even see your experiences in the comments below. Have you ever visited a valley or another place that doesn't get golden hour?

Alex Armitage's picture

Alex Armitage has traveled the world to photograph and film some of the most beautiful places it has to offer. No matter the location, perfecting it's presentation to those absent in the moment is always the goal; hopefully to transmute the feeling of being there into a visual medium.

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2 Comments

Would love to see some photos on a blog post ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY.

this almost assumes that all good landscape photos must be shot within golden hour