Morning vs. Afternoon Light, why the coffee is worth it

When I was in the Tetons, I insisted that we wake up at 5am to head out to the Mormon Row barns for sunrise. My family, who I dragged out with me, moaned and groaned and didn’t understand WHY photographers had to get to these places so ridiculously early. Although I didn’t get the best light, the difference between the photograph I took that morning, and the one I took later that afternoon convinced them that getting up at 5am is definitely worth it. You may have visited the barns mid afternoon, and took this second shot and thought it was still pretty good, however you may not realize the shot and colors you COULD have gotten if you had just mustered up the strength to unzip that sleeping bag in the early morning.

I still like the second shot that I took the same day but later in the afternoon, but the mood is totally different than the morning shot. The colors are saturated, the red wood of the barn is front lit and the details really come out.The afternoon shot has a much moodier feel, and really accentuates the fact that this is an old, shadowy barn.

So next time you are in a beautiful place, and know of somewhere you really want to photograph… re-think that afternoon visit that works with your schedule for the day, wake up before dawn, make a large pot of coffee, and try to beat the sun. Not only will you probably meet some pro photographers there as well, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much a difference that golden hour around sunrise will make!