If you’ve ever looked at a photo on Insta and thought, “why does everything look so warm and glowy and just so… beautiful?”, there’s a fair chance it was taken at golden hour.
It’s my absolute favourite time to photograph families, and once you’ve had a session in this light, you’ll understand why.
And much as I’d LOVE to photograph your family every other week, I know that’s not realistic. But you can have a go yourself and you don’t need a fancy camera, your phone can do a decent job once you know what you’re looking for.
So, I’m going to share a few easy tricks to help you take your own golden hour photos of your kids, just using your phone!
And then when you want everyone in the photo (and you’d rather not be the one organising, directing, chasing smiles, and trying to nail the light), that’s when booking me makes it sooo much easier.
What Actually Is Golden Hour?
It’s that hour-ish just before sunset, when the light goes soft and buttery yellow, and sooo dreamy and warm. It usually lasts around an hour, starting when the sun is low in the sky but before it starts to dip below the horizon. You’ll get that light just after sunrise too, which is perfect if you’ve got littlies who are up with the birds anyway (and that early light is just as pretty I promise!).
Golden hour is a great time to take photos of kids because the light doesn’t have the harsh lines that you get when the sun is higher in the sky, which are pretty unflattering. You also don’t get those awful shadows under their eyes or the squints (even worse!). This kind of light makes it so easy to get really gorgeous photos without a fancy camera.
Why Golden Hour Makes Everyone Look Good (Especially Mums)
Seriously, the golden hour makes everything look better - including us mums (and that’s the most important thing, right? 😅). Mums always tell me they’re worried about how they’ll look in photos. No judgement! I feel the same way when it’s my turn. But golden hour does magical things. This light is kind. It softens our features, smooths our lines, and makes our skin look warm, healthy and GLOWING!
It’s the only time of day where you can be standing there with no makeup, hair barely brushed, kids climbing all over you, and you’ll still look like the best version of yourself.
When I show mums the back of my camera at a golden hour session, they usually let out this little relieved sigh, and I get it. Good light is the difference between a stunning photo and a shocker (and golden hour is the QUEEN of good light!).
Kids & Golden Hour (A Perfect Combo)
There’s something about kids in golden hour that just works. Maybe it’s that pre-dinner energy burst, but they always relax into it. They run around, explore, pick up sticks, chase each other, and forget the camera even exists.
For photos, this is gold!
You get movement, real expressions, and those in-between moments we mums love… cheeky grins, laughter, running-through-the-grass moments that you think you’ll remember forever but actually forget if you don’t capture them.
And for anyone wondering how to take golden hour photos of kids when they’re moving so much… movement is your friend. It’s more natural and you’ll capture more personality. Your phone can keep up just fine because there’s enough light, and golden hour hides a lot of the chaos in the best possible way (coz it’s sooo dreamy).
How to Time It Perfectly
Golden hour photos aren’t actually about the sunset or sunrise - they’re about that soft, warm light that comes with it just before or after. Which is great, because it gives you a decent amount of time to get some photos you’ll love without rushing.
For golden hour in the evening, start around an hour before the scheduled sunset time. But here’s the thing… don’t start too early or the light will still be bright and a bit harsh, and you’ll miss that glowy look everyone loves (it’s all about the glow, baby! 😅).
Plus, kids don’t have a massive window before they’re over it, so you don’t want to burn through their good mood while the light’s not even doing you any favours yet. Even if you only start about 20 minutes before the sun disappears, that can be better than an hour of light that’s too bright to work with.
This blog post below has some tips for a sunset family session with me, but you’ll find the tips helpful even when you’re taking the photos yourself.
How to Prep For Your Sunset Family Photos with Little Kids
If you’ve got little ones who go to bed early, or during summer when sunset can be ridiculously late, shoot in the morning instead. Just get there right after sunrise and you’ll get a good hit of golden light for about an hour.
So to sum up, time your photos:
Evening - no more than an hour before sunset
Morning - no more than an hour after sunrise
6 Steps For Golden Hour Photos Of Kids Using Your Phone
Ok here goes… my quick tips for great golden hour phone photos:
- Put the sun behind your kids (this is how you get that warm glow around their hair)
- If your photos look too hazy, position yourself or the kids so the sun is right behind them, blocking it a little, or just at the edge of your frame.
- Get down to their level.
- Tap their face on your phone screen so it focuses on them.
- Lower the exposure if the light behind them looks too bright. How to do that will vary from phone to phone, so you’ll need to research if you don’t know how - just google “how to adjust exposure on x phone”.
- Take the shot!
And here’s another hot tip - take lots to give yourself the best chance to get one good shot you love, even if they’re standing still, smiling and looking right at you (and if they are, go you!).
How to Edit For Perfect Golden Hour Phone Photos
If you reduce exposure when you’re taking the shot, your kids’ faces will probably look a bit dark, but the light behind them will look amazinggg… and that’s actually what you want.
Why?
Because no camera (not even the fanciest!) can expose for both faces and the light at the same time in the golden hour. It’s better to capture the light perfectly so you get all that beautiful golden hour warmth and colour, then you can adjust the exposure on their faces in editing really easily.
Editing in Lightroom Mobile (and yep, it’s free!)
Lightroom Mobile is free for phones, so easy to use, and honestly does a beautiful job of bringing their faces back without ruining that warm glow in the background.
A little haze is totally ok, in fact it’s partly what makes the photos look dreamy. But if it’s too hazy and you want the kids to look more obvious, use the dehaze tool.
That’s really it.
Nothing technical, nothing overwhelming.
What If It’s Cloudy?
As a photographer I can tell you this is pretty common. You schedule a golden hour session, and clouds come over and hide that golden light.
Does that mean you have to quit and go home? No way! I have 4 kids, I KNOW how much work it takes to get everyone out of the house and in matching shoes, so don’t waste it!
Clouds actually act like a giant softbox, which just means everything stays nice and even without any harsh light. So, you can still get really flattering, beautiful photos even if the light isn’t warm and golden.
Clothing & Colours
If you’re planning ahead, earthy or bold colours always work great in golden hour. But honestly, if the kids are comfy and able to move, you’re halfway there. The light does so much of the heavy lifting that outfits aren’t the main thing, and that hazy glow has a way of filtering out everything except those happy, smiling faces!
Why Golden Hour Photos Feel So Special
Golden hour isn’t just about the light, it’s totally a vibe. That slower end-of-day energy, the kids running around before dinner, you crouching down for a cuddle before they race off again… these are moments that stick.
And when you take photos in that soft warm light, the feeling shows up in the pictures.
Not in a fancy-photographer way - in a real “this is our life right now” kind of way. There’s something about that light that just says childhood.
If you’d like me to capture your family during golden hour, shoot me a message. Or ask me how to put a Coral Hagan Photography gift certificate on your Santa list!
Until then, I hope this helps you grab beautiful moments yourself, even if you’ve only got your phone and about ten seconds before the kids sprint in the opposite direction! 🧡
PS. If you try my tips and you love your shots, post them on insta and tag me @coral_hagan_photography, I’d love to see them!