I am in love with Blue Hour! Blue hour is heartwarming and exciting! It is a very wonderful time of day. While some people feel that it is too early or too late to take pictures. I have very rarely been let down by blue hour.
Most people that go to see the sunset or sunrise will sit there patiently waiting for the sun and as soon as it goes up or comes down they leave. I am not sure I have really ever understood this, because this is an amazing time of day to take pictures. Cityscapes look amazing against the blue lit sky and the buildings are still lit. Subjects in the foreground stand out against the background as the the hue of blue is much deeper than it is during the day.
The main differences between Golden Hour and Blue Hour is the position of the sun, the amount of light, and the color. Blue Hour just like Golden Hour occurs two times a day. It is the moment where the light of the sun is just below the horizon; just as it is transitioning from day to night and night today. Photographers use the word “hour” loosely, because it does not last for a full hour. It is a period of time during a sunrise or sunset. The amount of time changes based on the seasons and where you are located on the planet. A lot of people refer to this time as Twilight.
During Blue Hour the sun is just below the horizon and it cast a blue colored indirect light across the sky. This is very precious soft light that gives me the felling of tranquility and peace.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that Blue hour only offers blue skies. It has been my experience that this is not true! There are some many more colors that occur during blue hour. There are usually much deeper and richer colors and there is usually a glimpse of color at the horizon. On cloudy days, the light comes up and over the horizon and the light defuses across the clouds and are carried throughout the sky highlighting the clouds with beautiful colors.
This is also the perfect time to capture reflection pictures. The light is defused indirectly which causes the reflections to be much richer and deeper in the water. I find this to be very true just after the sun has set. Blue Hour just lightly touches the water and the result just makes my heart sing! It can be just breathe takingly beautiful!
Blue hour brings so much rich beauty that make me just makes me say, “Oooooooooooooooo!!!”. It is so hard or me to resist! So the next time you go out to see the sunset stop and wait! Wait for the sun to completely set. And let Blue Hour share it’s magic with you!