I posted a few weeks ago about what the popular term “Golden Hour” means, and how this gorgeous time of day affects your photos.

Today I want to introduce you to my second favorite time of day for portrait sessions – “Blue Hour”.

The blue hour begins when the sun has dipped below the horizon and is no longer directly shining on the environment we’re photographing in. The sky is still lit, and acts as one big light source, which creates gorgeously soft lighting and no harsh shadows or bright spots. The light is soft and even across the whole scene.

WHAT TIME DOES BLUE HOUR BEGIN?

Blue hour does not happen at the same time year-round. In Wenatchee during summer, sometimes blue hour doesn’t begin until 8:30pm or later. My favorite time of year to work during blue hour is Spring and Summer, because we can work in blue hour light without the kids having to stay up past their bed time! In winter months, blue hour happens much earlier in the day, sometimes around 3pm on the shortest days of the year.

If you’re wanting a blue hour session during the summer months, there are a few locations with mountains where the sun dips behind a little earlier than down in the valley.

I captured Amy’s family portraits at the start of blue hour this summer, and she was only a few short weeks from meeting her daughter. I wanted her to have some special photos of herself and with her husband to commemorate this time of anticipation and the beauty of her pregnancy.

Are you pregnant and wanting to document this season of anticipation with gorgeous maternity photos? The best time for maternity photos is when you are between 28 weeks – 34 weeks of your pregnancy. Planning ahead is the best way to ensure you will be able to book a session with me at the perfect time! I always suggest contacting me to book a maternity session when you’re about 16-20 weeks pregnant so that you can secure a session, and we have time to choose a meaningful location + choose gorgeous outfits that will suit your style look great and the location we choose.

The first step in planning your maternity portrait session is to get in touch with me! Head to my contact page and let me know how many weeks along you are, and I will return your message within one business day to listen to everything you’re envisioning for your perfect pregnancy portraits!

CONTACT NOW

Visit my Maternity + Newborn Portfolio