Golden Hour in the Field of Dreams

“To love beauty is to see light.”
– Victor Hugo

As I type these words, the rays of setting sun are finding their way through the strands of blinds on my floor-to-ceiling window, drawing long golden lines across everything in the room. This is the time of transition and change, light into darkness. Another day is coming to an end, bringing calmness and satisfaction of the day well lived, and a promise of well-earned rest.

But until the sun dips way below the horizon line, I feel restless, fidgety, and not able to focus on anything that is going on around me. Except for the light. I can only focus on the light. Everything else is a distraction from the glory that is unfolding in front of my eyes. I just sit and watch how the light colours everything in our living room yellow, then orange, then soft pink, or how the sun peeks from behind the clouds and sends the rays streaming down to the ground, creating the most spectacular display, or how pretty the back-lit tall grass looks on the hill in front of our windows. To me the whole world simply stops during those thirty minutes. Which is ironic, as it is one of those times of the day when you do feel the Earth spinning, rolling the day over, carrying us into tomorrow.

When I have my camera in hand during the golden hour, I shoot like crazy. It’s the most precious light of the day, and I live for it. If I am to photograph your wedding, I will make sure we sneak outside of your reception venue and photograph just the two of you in that luminous golden haze – it’s pure magic.

That light makes me believe in my dreams.