What is the best time of day for a dog portrait session in the Toronto area? I get this question from my clients all the time. And the answer is almost always the same.

So what time is best?

For me, the short answer is: the best time for your on location pet portrait sessions is the hour before sunset and the minutes just after sunset.  I’m quite sure you’ve heard of golden hour. That is the time I am talking about, roughly one hour before sunset or one hour after sunrise.

How is Golden Hour better than other times of the day for dog photography?

• The most challenging time to shoot outdoors is when the sun is high in the sky or directly overhead. The light is really strong and bright, and this can make it difficult to avoid harsh and unflattering shadows on the face or body. This is generally around midday, but the harsh light can last much later in the day, particularly in the summer months when the sun doesn’t set till around 8pm.

• It is typically easier for photographers, especially those like myself using only natural light outdoors, to get great images during golden hour. During this time of the day, the sun is low in the sky and that means a lovely soft light with a warm glow and as mentioned, no harsh shadows.

• Another benefit of taking pictures at dusk? The sky's colours are gorgeous during this time of day. 

• In the minutes just after sunset you can get beautiful silhouettes.

Why not recommend Sunrise photo sessions?

Well definitely sunrise is a great time too!

But to be honest - I hate getting up before dawn!  I am not an early morning person and I don’t want to ask my clients to get up at the crack of dawn..

But for my urban or city dog photography sessions that is exactly the time that I will arrange a shoot.  Not only because of the softer light, but also because the city is relatively quiet at that time with fewer people and cars.

Will you shoot at other times of the day if we can’t make it at Golden Hour?

Of course!  I will accommodate all my client’s needs.

So while the best time of day for outdoor portraits is golden hour, I can still create beautiful photos at other times of the day if its absolutely necessary. 

• Midday or afternoon I will be looking for shade or trees where the light will be softer and somewhat filtered.

• We could discuss planning to shoot on a cloudy day. That will require me and the clients to be available at short notice, but it is doable. Soft clouds also give lovely soft light to the images.

• Or I’ll use a flash to counteract the brightness of the sun. 

So no matter when we shoot, you will have gorgeous photos of your dog to display in your home and precious memories to share!

If you would like a free consultation about your own pet photo session, just click below to contact me