The golden hour is that precious time, just after sunrise or just before sunset, when white takes on the aura of precious metals. It is a time when all things are possible in photography. It is a magical time when all things photographed seem more glorious, a time when darks are richer, and lights are warmer. Unfortunately, like in economics, it seems that inflation must have taken place somewhere between when the phrase was coined and the present day. I have rarely found the golden hour to be an hour at all! At times it can be as short as 10 or 15 minutes. It can all be explained by physics, refraction, and the altitude of the sun, but somehow that only explains the quality and duration of the light, and not the magic of the hour. For wildlife photographers, it is a combined effect, since wild creatures tend to be most active in the minutes surrounding the arrival and the departure of the day. For this snowy owl it means that the bright overhead sunlight does not make him squint, and we get a good look at those beautiful eyes, for which he is known. I love the golden hour. It is a time when all the world seems more pristine.
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