From Harsh to Heavenly: The Best Lighting for Engagement Photos
Lighting can make or break your engagement photos. While professional photographers have techniques to manage harsh midday light, there are significant downsides to scheduling your session at that time. Before locking in a midday Saturday shoot simply because it fits your schedule, consider how different lighting conditions can enhance—or hinder—the magic of your engagement photos.
Midday Light: Harsh and Unforgiving
⏳ Time of Day: 11 AM - 3 PM
☀️ Characteristics: Strong overhead sunlight, deep shadows, high contrast
Midday lighting is often the least flattering for any portrait type of photo. Here are the main reasons to avoid it altogether (in my opinion):
The sun is directly overhead, casting harsh shadows under the eyes and nose (hello, raccoon eyes!). The highlights become overblown, and any camera will have a difficult time
The contrast between bright highlights and dark shadows can make skin tones appear uneven, and often times warm up skin in a way that oversaturates skin tones.
Squinting is common since the sun is intense. Nobody wants to have fully closed or half closed eyes during their engagement session, where it looks like you’re struggling to keep them open.
Backgrounds can become overly bright or washed out.
How to Make It Work:
Find Open Shade: Standing under a tree or next to a building can soften the light.
Use Reflectors or Diffusers: These can help bounce light back into the shadows for a more even look.
Backlighting: Positioning the sun behind you can create a nice rim light effect and avoid harsh front lighting. I personally do not recommend this during the more intense times of day, as the light can be unflattering with blown out highlights.
Golden Hour: The Most Flattering Light
⏳ Time of Day: 1 Hour After Sunrise & 1 Hour Before Sunset
🌅 Characteristics: Warm, soft, and diffused light - magical highlights without crushed shadows or oversaturated skin tones
Golden hour is often considered the holy grail of portrait photography for multiple reasons, including:
With the sun lower in the sky, golden hour creates a beautiful lighting opportunity where the sun “peeks” over the horizon, casting softer shadows and reducing harsh, blown-out highlights. I say “less” because the highlights during golden hour aren’t just manageable—they add a stunning “haloing” effect that enhances the romantic feel of your photos.
Unlike midday shooting, the warm tones of golden hour infuse your images with a rich, golden glow, giving them depth and a timeless, cinematic quality. This natural warmth adds character and emotion, making your engagement photos feel even more intimate and dreamy.
The directional light at this time also enhances depth and texture without being too harsh, sculpting the scene beautifully and ensuring both you and your surroundings are bathed in a flattering, ethereal glow.
Why It’s Ideal for Engagement Photos:
Skin looks smooth and radiant.
The warm hues create a dreamy, romantic vibe.
Natural backlighting can produce beautiful sun flares and soft halos around couples.
Overcast Days: A Natural Softbox
☁️ Characteristics: Soft, diffused, even light
Cloudy days can be a blessing in disguise for engagement shoots when you don’t have the schedule to take advantage of golden hour because:
The clouds act like a giant softbox, eliminating harsh shadows. Even during midday shooting, highlights are distributed evenly across all portions of a photo.
Skin tones appear more natural and even on overcast days because the clouds act as a giant softbox, diffusing sunlight and eliminating harsh shadows. Unlike bright midday sun, which can create strong contrast and exaggerate imperfections, overcast lighting gently wraps around the face, softening features and providing a more flattering, balanced exposure. This means there’s no risk of unflattering highlights or deep shadows that can distort skin tones.
There’s no worry about squinting or harsh highlights.
Potential Downsides:
The sky can look dull or uninspiring (unlikely to happen unless the area chosen has uninspiring aspects to it).
If it’s too dark, images may lack contrast. It may only be too dark in later times of day, generally after 4pm (5pm the latest)
Colors might be cooler than on sunny days. This can be combatted in multiple ways in post, however if you are not a fan of over editing or adding warmer tones in post, then overcast days may not be a good option.
How to Enhance Overcast Photos:
Look for pops of color in the environment to add visual interest. This will provide some contrast to the dull coloring that is a result of shooting under overcast.
Use artificial lighting if extra brightness or warmth is needed. Ask your photographer if they have any flashes that they bring with them and how they use them.
Embrace the moody vibe—overcast days are perfect for intimate, cinematic shots!
Choosing the Best Light for Your Engagement Session
If you love soft, warm, and romantic vibes, opt for golden hour. This is my personal favorite (check out some of my engagement session photos and you will get an idea of what I mean). There are also times were overcast and golden hour show themselves at the same time, which creates a unique blend of the magical colors of golden hour, with the soft box lighting effect of overcast.
If your schedule only allows midday, find shaded areas and use creative techniques to manage the harsh light. Please ensure you and your photographer work together to look for areas that provide these sort of things.
If the forecast calls for clouds, embrace the soft and flattering light for natural, timeless images.
As a photographer, I work with all lighting conditions to ensure your engagement photos look their best—no matter the weather or time of day! If you’re planning your engagement session and wondering when to schedule it, feel free to reach out—I’m happy to help you pick the perfect time for your vision.
