Raj’s (xdrive photography lesson) valuable feedback to the use of a neutral density filter and monochrome in the initial submission of the golden hour lesson awakened me to how I was limiting my exploration of the soft light and golden shades found within the golden hour.
With the awareness that I have learned a great deal through Raj’s photo lessons, I set up a still life of the oranges below on my veranda during the golden hour…absent a neutral density filter.
Nikon D750 f/5.6 1/40s 35mm ISO 100
It has been my experience that the golden hour in Northeastern Colorado is impacted by the Rocky Mountain foothills as the light remains harsh for an extended period of time and disappears quickly as the sun moves behind the foothills. Also, a soft quality of light seems to require a cloud bank to serve as a reflector to the hidden sun’s rays. Otherwise, the available light often is more of a glaring quality than a golden soft glow.
D750 f/7.1 1/250s 85mm ISO 320
Nikon D750 f/5.6 1/500s 85mm ISO 100
The golden hour offers great shadows and rim lighting …
A panorama of the Rocky Mountain foothills…September 15, 2016 at 6:53 p.m. Sunset at 7:08 pm
Nikon D750 f/7,1 1/250s 300mm ISO 320
As always, Raj I thank you for your time and valuable feedback. Looking forward to your next lessons.
a meditative journey 
Thanks for the inspiration, Brenda. I have been wondering what to photograph since my world is covered in snow. Lovely collection of photos!
Thank you. As it is winter I am too reluctant to wander out as the sun sets…a bit chilly and the ice—especially black ice—once a tiny skating rink to my young and agile soul, is now a broken hip threat to my aging body.
Great photos, Brenda. I particularly appreciate you shared your experience of golden hour (in Northeastern Colorado) with us. What you said makes a lot of sense. Here in MN, we finally have warmer days (30+) yesterday and today.But it was quite cloudy yesterday so no golden hour ;-(
Have a wonderful evening.
Helen, thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. What I am finding this winter is more day that feel like spring than winter and thus the snow that we have had melts during the day and then freezes at night creating patches of black ice.
I think I like your winter better. It was so cold that I stopped my newspaper subscription because neither my husband nor I wanted to pick it up at the mailbox. 😉
That is cold. I remember winters in Iowa when we had to bundle up—3 layers, at least—just to take out the trash. Before Iowa, mittens, knit hats, and scarves were fashion accessories not survival gear. 😊
Wow! Another followup for the session, great work Brenda.. I almost missed your post!
Pic 1: Before commenting anything those oranges look ripe and yummy! Golden lights rendered the warmth all over without any harshness. Compositio wise you could have included the whole bunch completely in the frame without cutting off the top?
Pic2: Yes, I can see the golden hour light in the shot. But since there is only one flower you should have gone for a wider aperture to isolate the subject. Also, it’s important to choose the right subject. In this case, though flower looks tired and not in shape.
Pic 3: Great candid outdoor fun captured! You are a good candid shooter! 😊 The sunset light giving the rim goldern light effect. I feel even the close-up shots could have given the great results here.
Pic 4: Nice backlit photography here, I feel it needed bit more of the road for a perfect shot with the story.
Pic 5: I like this shot a lot since it shows the rim light effect very prominently. The man and the dog with perfect focus and sharpness. Although this shot needs some tilt adjustment.
Pic 6: Just one word, “Fantastic”. Beautifully captured shot at the sunset. I like the shadows created on the clouds by their own. Really a neet picture.
This critique is part of XDrive’s photography learning sessions. Thank you, Brenda, once again for being here.
Raj
Thank you Raj. Pic. 5, yes I now see how the man is bent backwards a bit. Whoops! Opening up the aperture for the sunflower image…hopefully I will be able to keep this in mind next time I find a field of sunflowers as they are rare delight in Colorado. The oranges…well, now I understand the importance of the entire environment when setting up a photo shoot for still life and the inadvisability of cropping out that background. Hope you are having a wonderful week! _()_
Yes, Brenda while taking pictures lot to think about, that’s what shows up in the final result. Sometimes we get excited and forget the basics. But that’s how we learn too. Thank you and you have a wonderful evening!