All about golden hour: The best time of day for family photos in Toronto (and just about everywhere else)

Spring is in the air, and with it, the promise of beautiful light twinkling through trees, glowing around grasses and gently kissing your face in your family photos. But this light doesn't come to you -- you have to come to it.

The sweet light of golden hour is a fickle thing. It only arrives on sunlit days and lasts for about 60 minutes right before sunset and after sunrise. Cool in the morning and glowing warmly in the evening, golden hour light is my absolute favourite for creating soulful, captivating portraits. During golden hour, the sun is low to the horizon, with its beams stretching long across the earth's surface. It brings a shimmering, diffused quality to the light that is soft and flattering on our faces. Golden hour lets us shoot in the open without having to seek shade, squint and constantly be on the watch for harsh shadows on our faces.

With all this going for it, you can see why golden hour is the go-to shoot time for so many outdoor portrait photographers. I do my outdoor sessions nearly exclusively at this time because I want the best conditions to create beautiful images for you. So what do you do if you have a young child who doesn't stay up late enough for a summer golden hour shoot?

The first thing I tell my families is to consider an autumn date to do their photos. The early sunsets of October are perfect for the early-to-bed set, with the benefit of warm days lingering until late in the month. Sunrise sessions also work better in September and October, as the sun doesn't rise in the Toronto area until about 7 am. If you have that early-rising child, this can be a perfect way to start the day, with the added bonus of the streets and parks being very quiet first thing in the morning.

Another option is to move your session indoors. In-home family photos have a beautiful way of telling your family's story. They document your everyday in a way that no other location can. You could also skip the tidy-up at home and opt for a studio rental. This is a good option if we are doing an extended family session and have multiple groups to photograph. Studios provide more space to let everyone gather and typically have large windows to let light pour in, something that's a must-have when shooting a larger group.

You always have options when it comes to your session time, but if you crave those beautiful, romantic, dreamy images that make your heart soar, golden is already your choice. Plan ahead and I promise you, it'll be worth it. And yes, I will lobby shamelessly for it, too, because I want the absolute best when capturing your family's memories.