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Chapter 11 ✦ Creating Romance in the Magic Hour
Figure 11-15: It may not be very common, but it is possible to create a romantic image with a
wide-angle lens.
18mm, f8, 1/80th, 400 ISO
Creating the Photo Shoot
Getting the time to create a romantic image doesn’t happen all on its own. You have to request it and
work it into your whole business plan so that you begin talking about it to the bride the moment you
meet her. You have to also talk about it to the groom and the coordinator so that they will all be on your
team trying to make it happen.
The absolute best time for a romantic photo shoot is the hour before sunset and about twenty or so min-
utes past sunset. This is what photographers refer to as the “Golden Hour.” The light is low, golden, and
very soft. Just after the sun disappears over the horizon you have about twenty minutes when, even on a
sunny day, there will be a very even light in the sky much like that of an overcast day. The Golden Hour is
the time to try to schedule your romantic photo shoot.
Frequently this time will fall after the ceremony and in the last half of dinner. If this is the case, you are
truly in luck because the bride and groom will be finished eating and you can easily slip away with them
for a half hour without anyone ever noticing. This requires that you pre-plan to eat your meals at the
same time as the bride and groom so that you can be finished eating ...