Golden hour is overrated, change my mind

[ECWAlex98]

Every photography tutorial treats golden hour like the only time real photos happen. I get it, the light is soft and warm and flattering. But I think it has become a crutch and it makes a lot of portfolios look identical

Some of my favourite shots were taken in harsh midday sun with hard shadows, or in flat grey drizzle. Bad light forces you to think about composition instead of letting the sky do the work. A dramatic shadow across a face says more than another orange backlit silhouette

So convince me otherwise. Post your best non golden hour shot if you have one, or tell me why I am wrong and the warm stuff really is superior

[JayJ]

Hard disagree. Golden hour is popular because it works, same reason the rule of thirds is popular

[ProperJobs50]

Midday sun street photography is a whole art form though, look at the harsh shadow people on the photo sharing sites

[BrittleQuarry]

I think the real answer is that light should match subject. Golden hour for portraits, harsh light for architecture, overcast for macro

[Holly43]

Overcast for macro is such an underrated tip, no blown highlights on petals

[Donna]

What do people do about skin tones in midday light? Every attempt I make looks clinical

[RayOfLight]

Fill flash or a cheap reflector, honestly changes everything at noon

[KaiHeck]

OP kind of has a point, my feed is 90 percent orange rim light and I am bored of it

[HollywoodHogan02]

Bored of it or not, clients ask for it, and clients pay the bills