When is the golden hour in photography? "Golden hour" of ambulance. Calculating the golden hour

The well-known expression “better late than too late” does not work in emergency medicine. In emergency cases, usually “both are worse,” and it is no coincidence that the concept of the “golden hour of salvation,” which originated in military medicine, gradually penetrated into all areas.

In war and beyond

The idea of ​​the "golden hour" dates back to the First World War. French doctors treating casualties on the battlefields found that the outcome of treatment often depended more on the speed of treatment than on the severity of the wounds. And with lesions of similar severity, the best outcome was definitely always in those patients to whom help arrived faster. Moreover, “faster” is not the difference between two hours and two days. Several tens of minutes turned out to be critical.

The term itself was introduced into widespread practice by R. Adams Cowley, an American traumatologist. He began his career as a military doctor, and extensive practice in this role allowed him to conclude that there was “an hour between life and death.”

Cowley became convinced that approximately 60 minutes after a serious injury, some irreversible or very difficult to reversible processes develop in the body. Later, having created his own trauma clinic, he became convinced of the validity of this rule not only for combat wounds, but also for severe injuries of any kind.

Despite the fact that evidence-based medicine does not confirm exactly the length of the interval when something can still be done for the patient, there is no doubt that therapy should be started as early as possible. From the very first minute after injury, traumatic shock develops in the body. This is a cascade of pathological reactions caused by a large flow of intense pain impulses into the brain and significant blood loss.

With a sharp decrease in blood volume, the body tries to save the “most important” organs - the heart, lungs and brain. The so-called centralization of blood circulation occurs, when the remaining blood circulates along a “shortened” circuit. At the same time, other parts of the body slowly but surely die from a lack of oxygen and an excess of toxic products of their own vital activity. After a certain time (by the way, close to 60 minutes), changes in the deprived cells become irreversible.

It is also worth keeping in mind that in case of injury, the functioning of the cardiovascular system suffers through a reflex mechanism. Simply put, the victim may experience cardiac arrest, even if the heart itself is not damaged. The more severe and prolonged the shock, the more likely such an event will occur.

“Golden hour” in cardiology and neurology

Biological laws are the same for everyone, so the concept that came from military medicine is also relevant for “peaceful” specialties. During myocardial infarction, when a blood clot clogs an artery of the heart, its muscle cells - cardiomyocytes - begin to die.

According to standards, the maximum time for percutaneous coronary intervention that restores blood flow is 2 hours from the first contact of the patient with doctors. However, if blood flow is restored within the first hour, 60% of the cells from the affected area can be saved, and if during the second hour, only 10% can be saved.

The same thing happens with the ischemic version of a stroke, only in this case, it is not the heart that remains without blood supply, but the brain. There is a chance for complete restoration of function only with successful thrombolytic (clot-dissolving) therapy within an hour. The more time passes beyond this period, the more residual effects the patient will have after recovery.

With a hemorrhagic stroke, the situation is somewhat different: since the brain substance is saturated with spilled blood, complete restoration of the damaged area is impossible. However, the faster help is provided, the less volume of brain matter will be damaged and the easier it will be for the brain to compensate for what is lost at the expense of neighboring areas.

Remember that the countdown of truly “golden” minutes begins precisely from the moment an attack develops or an injury occurs, and not from the time when you called “ ambulance" Be sure to inform your doctor as accurately as possible about the time of onset of the disease - this will help him choose the right treatment tactics.

Lidiya Kulikova

Photo depositphotos.com

Lighting is a key factor in photography. You can notice a very beautiful natural landscape, have the most advanced SLR camera in your hands, but without proper light it will be almost impossible to get high-quality and interesting pictures. Moreover, it is unlikely that finished photographs can be saved even with the tools of a graphic editor, which photographers love to use. The problem of lighting is especially relevant for shooting outdoors, when the possibilities of using artificial light sources are limited. Here the photographer is very dependent on the characteristics of natural light. Therefore, the question becomes incredibly important the right choice time for shooting.

Professional photographers are well aware of this problem, which is why they have found a solution in such phenomena as “golden hour” and “blue hour”. These are the times of day with the best natural light for photography. You will learn more about the “golden” and “blue hours” from this article.

“Golden hour” in photography

“Golden hour” is the period of time in the first hour after sunrise and in the last hour before sunset. At this unique time of day, the sun's luminary is located closer to the horizon, as a result of which all objects are painted in some amazing golden-reddish hue. Thanks to this, any photograph, be it a portrait or a landscape, takes on a completely magical look. It is almost impossible to imitate such lighting with artificial sources or Photoshop. The sun, which is low in the sky, creates a very pleasant, soft and diffused light that contrasts sharply with what we see the rest of the day, in particular the harsh light from the midday sun, when deep, rough colors appear in photographs. shadows.

This “magic hour” does not actually last exactly sixty minutes, but varies depending on the time of year and the geographic location (latitude) where the photo is taken. But even if the “golden hour” lasts only a couple of tens of minutes, for the sake of this period of time it’s worth getting up early and going to shoot interesting stories. During this amazing moment, the intensity of natural light is at its lowest, and the scene is illuminated mainly by sunlight reflected from the sky. The blue color disappears and that same pleasant, golden hue appears.

There are several main reasons why a photographer should shoot outdoors at this time:

• warm, golden lighting, making surrounding objects and people’s faces literally shine;
• less sharp contrasts;
• at sunset you can shoot stunning silhouettes;
• soft light fits perfectly on people's faces;
• long shadows from the sun, located low above the horizon, give photographs additional volume and help convey texture;
• Less likely to overexpose or underexpose photographic images, as well as lose detail;
• It is very beneficial to shoot in backlight, the possibility of using sun glare;
• you can shoot clouds that look most beautiful during this period of time and can add entertainment or mood to the photographs;
• The photograph can convey golden, beautiful rays of the sun if the sun is located behind the subject being photographed.

As we can see, the “golden hour” has many advantages. At this time, the best natural lighting is observed in terms of color temperature and tonality of the image. When should you use the golden hour? In fact, such natural lighting conditions are suitable for various types outdoor shooting. You can photograph portraits, landscapes, take close-ups of flowers and plants, create beautiful photographic images of city streets or moving cars.

Natural landscapes are especially beautiful during the golden hour. The golden rays of the sun perfectly outline the surrounding landscapes with trees or hills, giving landscape photographs pleasant, warm shades. City scenes with such lighting acquire additional expressiveness and dynamism. During the “golden hour” it is also recommended to photograph portraits, using, in particular, backlight, which will highlight the model’s hair and highlight the beauty of her skin. Side or backlight perfectly draws contours and creates additional volume in the photograph.

The footage taken during the “golden hour” is literally breathtaking. It is not for nothing that, for example, National Geographic magazine often holds competitions, the main theme of which is precisely the photographic images taken during this “magic hour”. Important question– how to determine when the “golden hour” occurs in your region in exact time of the year? For this, there are special online services that perform the appropriate calculations. Currently, special applications for smartphones are also being released that calculate when the “golden hour” occurs in the morning or evening.

To ensure your golden hour shoot goes smoothly, follow these practical tips:

• Plan your shooting in advance, because in reality you will have not an hour at your disposal, but only a couple of tens of minutes, and this “magic time” will pass very quickly and unnoticed. Determine in advance what you will shoot, evaluate the composition, pay attention to those elements that may become beautiful view under dawn or sunset rays.
• Decide on your camera settings before you start filming. Use long shutter speeds and low sensitivities. Pre-adjust white balance (WB) manually, as golden hour is not the optimal time to use automatic settings BB. Moreover, here you do not need maximum accuracy, but rather an artistic approach to setting this parameter. To warm up your photos and capture a beautiful golden glow in the frame, you can use the Cloudy WB mode.
• Use a tripod as there may not be enough light during the pre-dawn or sunset hours.
• Try playing with the aperture open. It will allow you to get spectacular photos with beautiful bokeh. Also, with an open aperture, the pictures will be softer.
• Warm, golden rays of light can transform red into dark orange or even not the most pleasant brown. Take this fact into account when choosing clothes for your model if you are going to shoot a portrait.
• Take as many pictures as possible. The lighting of the scene changes quickly, so it is important to have time to shoot as many frames as possible with different color temperatures, tonality and light intensity.

“Blue hour” in photography

Another great time for outdoor photography is the so-called “blue hour.” This is the period of time between night and twilight with special lighting, and also when the sun is about to appear over the horizon. At these moments, the lighting takes on a unique ultramarine hue that cannot be replicated using computer photography. In reality, the “blue hour” lasts on average about half an hour, when the sky turns beautiful blue or purple colors, it becomes saturated. Thirty minutes before sunrise and thirty minutes after sunset are not so dark that the camera cannot discern individual details. During the “blue hour”, the illumination of the sky and the panorama below it is equalized, which allows you to get truly unique shots.

Of course, shooting during blue hour is a little more difficult than shooting during golden hour. After all Blue colour, unlike the golden one, is not so generous and benevolent. It's better to avoid taking portraits. During this period, it is worth photographing objects with some kind of their own lighting, that is, buildings, structures, landmarks and city streets. It creates an excellent contrast between artificial lighting and the blue-violet background. In general, it is optimal to photograph city streets during the “blue hour” with cars passing by with their headlights on. Although you can try to take a portrait, but only using an additional lighting source (for example, light from a fire).

When the “blue” or “golden” hour comes, use a calculator

As with the “golden hour”, it is important to plan the shooting time correctly. After all, blue light will be available in an even shorter period of time. To find out when the blue or golden hour starts in your region, you can use the website jekophoto.eu.

When shooting during blue hour, here are some helpful practical tips:

• Choose a suitable shooting point in advance, attach the camera to a tripod (there will not be enough light during shooting). It is advisable to have a cable release or remote control to completely eliminate blurry photos.
• As dusk or dawn approaches, evaluate the saturation of the sky using the camera display. As soon as the sky turns into the shades you want, start shooting.
• Exposure settings can first be entrusted to the camera’s automation, and then, if necessary, make appropriate adjustments based on the histogram. But it's better to use aperture priority mode or manual mode. The aperture value is selected to ensure sharpness of all plans. During the “blue hour”, long shutter speeds are required; it is advisable to set the sensor sensitivity to a minimum.
• Use wide-angle optics - it will allow you to capture more of the beautiful, rich sky in the frame.
• Shoot in RAW to get more interesting details.
• The most beautiful pictures are obtained when there is partial cloudiness - you can capture on camera both the color saturation of the sky and the texture of the clouds.
• Experiment with HDR mode for unique, eye-catching photos.

So, “blue hour” is a short period of time before sunrise and after sunset, and “golden” is the time in the first hour after the sun comes out and an hour before sunset. These amazing moments create incredibly beautiful natural lighting of the scene, which every photography lover simply must try to use to create expressive, color-saturated photographs. Try to get up early one day, go shooting, and you will see how ordinary landscape or city photographs can be transformed under the influence of magical sunlight.

Anyone involved in photography should know what the Golden Hour is. For those who are not familiar with this concept, let's start with a brief formulation: golden hour is the most suitable time for shooting, when natural light has a beneficial effect on the quality of images.

Artificial lighting is practically useless when photographing landscapes, buildings and other large areas. Here you should rely only on the heavenly body. Every day, at a certain time, sunlight creates oblique soft rays that neatly, without overexposure or hard shadows, fill everything around. This time is called the “Golden Hour”.

When should we expect the “golden hour”?

The contrast of the photo is not too great. Thanks to this, details are not lost in light colors or shadows. Long shadows help emphasize the depth of the photo.

How to catch the golden hour

The times of sunrise and sunset can also be found on weather forecast sites.

1. Use a tripod. This will allow you to take clearer photos. In low light, correct exposure will require a long shutter speed, and there is no way to do this without a tripod.
2. You must arrive at the shooting location in advance. This will allow you to prepare and not miss best time for shooting.
3. During golden hour, the light changes very quickly, so don't hesitate. Everything needs to be done quickly, but not at the expense of quality.
4. Take a flashlight with you. As you make your way to the shooting location in the dark and lay out your equipment, you will certainly feel the need for a flashlight.

If you plan to film during the cold season, then a thermos with a hot drink will come in handy.

Professional photographers say that the “golden hour” is the time of day with the best lighting. In this article you will find out if this is true and how you can use it.

There is one thing that largely determines whether a photograph will turn out well or not, this factor is lighting. You might be shooting the most incredible landscape or stunning model, but without good lighting you'll end up with flat, boring, featureless photos.

This is especially true for outdoor photography, when it is difficult or impossible to use artificial lighting. In this case, you will be completely dependent on natural light.

Therefore, choosing the right time to shoot in natural light is critical. Fortunately, professional and amateur photographers who have been thinking about this problem since the creation of the first camera have found the perfect solution - the golden hour.

What is "golden hour"?

The "golden hour" is also sometimes called the "magic hour" - it is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset, although the exact duration varies depending on the time of year. During this time period, the sun is low in the sky, providing a soft, diffused light that is much more pleasant than the harsh midday light in which we often shoot.

Lighting during the golden hour is soft, diffused and warm. Photo by Martin Sojka.

This lighting reduces contrast, reducing the chance of losing details of the subject that might be lost in deep shadows or blown out. The warm tone makes the photo more pleasant, while the long shadows help highlight details, adding texture and dimension to the photo.

Another benefit: There are typically fewer people outside during golden hour than at other times of the day, allowing for a more relaxed, natural shot.

When should it be used?

Golden Hour can be used for any type of outdoor photography. Along with the obvious directions - landscapes and city photography, this technique is great for shooting portraits, flowers, plants and even such types of object photography as shooting cars.

Professional photographers strictly adhere to this rule; many are so devoted to it that they simply refuse to shoot at other times of the day. Of course, you don’t need to be so principled, but you should listen to the advice of experts; as a rule, they turn out to be very useful.

Definition of "golden hour"?

The simplest and quick way Determining when the "golden hour" occurs in the morning or evening is to use the "Golden Hour Calculator". This program uses more sophisticated methods for determining the "golden hour" than were described at the beginning of this article, which allows it to be used for accurate time determination.

Calculating your local golden hour time will help you plan your shoot. Photo by Bethan.

An alternative calculation method for those who like to do everything themselves: start by determining the local sunrise-sunset time, for this you can use the online determiner.

Next, you need to make a series of simple calculations: the first “golden hour” begins just before sunrise and lasts about an hour. The second "golden hour" begins approximately an hour before sunset and ends with it.

Once you've decided what and when to photograph, you'll be almost ready to grab your camera, accessories, and head out to take great photos. But before you do, try to remember the following tips to ensure your shoot goes smoothly and you make the most of your time.

Use a tripod

During the period closer to dawn and sunset, it will be quite dark outside. However, it would be a shame to miss out on these fantastic colors and textures by waiting until it gets lighter. Mount your camera on a tripod, choose a low ISO and use a slow shutter speed.

Take the time to set up your camera

The golden hour comes suddenly, so it is important to be prepared in advance. Get to the location early so you have some time to spare, even if it means getting up in the middle of the night.

Keep filming

During the golden hour, lighting changes extremely quickly and photos taken within minutes of each other can look completely different. Don't head home after taking one or two photos, but instead stay for the full hour to capture the full spectrum of the light's metamorphosis.

Bring a flashlight and warm drinks

During sunrise and sunset it can be very cold and dark. This seems obvious, but it's easy enough to forget about it, especially if you're going out during the day to photograph the sunset. A flashlight will help you see what you're doing and where you're going, and a warm drink is a real treat when you're standing in the cold waiting to take your next shot.

Shooting during the golden hour gives your photo more color, texture, and dimension. Photo by Sibiblu.

Shooting during golden hours is definitely one of the tips that has had the most positive impact on my outdoor photography. Although this forces you to go out to shoot at a time when you can still sleep soundly, curled up in a ball, it is worth it. Try it and see how your photos will transform.

Many tasks there are still beyond my capabilities, but it’s always interesting to learn something new. This time I learned about a magical (in my opinion) watch for landscape photography- “gold” and “blue”.

This is a real jewel that people with cameras are hunting for... golden hour A unique time of day when the sun is close to the horizon, and copper-gold dust seems to hang in the air. This happens twice a day: just after dawn and just before sunset. It is almost impossible to simulate such lighting in Photoshop, and the position of the sun during the rest of the day gives a completely different light (and, importantly, completely different shadows).

During the golden hour it is good to shoot, for example, landscapes. The golden outline outlines trees, hills, mountains, gives warm shades to colors, and emphasizes the aerial perspective. More city photos. At this time of day, shadows lengthen, silhouettes become clear, sunset light is reflected in the windows, glare from shop windows falls on the pavement - city photographs acquire dynamism and expressiveness. Pictures taken in backlight turn out great. And, of course, portraits. The backlight of the setting sun will highlight the model’s hair and highlight the softness of her skin with golden reflections. For portraits during golden hour, a reflector can be useful.

Technically, shooting at this time is not difficult: in most cases, neither a tripod nor a long shutter speed is needed. Here the photographer needs to choose a special angle, see the glass elements in the decoration of the city (sunset rays beautifully fill lamps, bus stops, vases and glasses on the tables of street cafes with light), and it is interesting to place shadows from pillars and people in the frame.

There are just two things to consider:

1. warm golden rays can turn red into dark orange or even brown, this must be kept in mind when choosing clothes for a model, if one is meant (model. Well, clothes too:)
2. You need to take pictures quickly, before the light at the end of the lens tunnel goes out. Remember - you actually have not an hour, but only about twenty minutes, until the sun rises too high (at dawn) or falls below the horizon (at sunset). During this time you need to take all the planned shots.

If I noticed the golden hour, without knowing its name, in nature and even made attempts to catch it, although most often unsuccessful, then the blue hour became a real discovery for me. I had no idea about its existence. So, next lesson from Rezza.

☀ Blue hour like the golden hour, it also happens twice a day: when the sun has just gone below the horizon (or is about to emerge from behind it), the sky turns intense blue. Like the solar “dust” of the golden hour, the piercing cobalt-ultramarine glow of the sky is also almost impossible to convincingly reproduce with computer processing. But this is not necessary - with the right settings, the camera itself will capture all the necessary shades. Moreover, the camera sees the blue of the sky even when it seems completely dark to us!

☀ Blue hour

1. The location for shooting must be chosen in advance. The blue hour does not last long - 10-20 minutes - and this time should not be spent running around with a tripod.

2. For a “smooth” picture, you need to shoot at a long shutter speed with a tripod. If you're photographing a cityscape or landscape, be sure to close your aperture to at least f16 so that all objects are in depth of field. This will also give a funny effect: artificial sources lighting will look like stars with several rays. The darker the sky, the longer the shutter speed needed

3. It’s better to shoot in Manual mode or in aperture priority (Aperture).

4. Don’t take pictures too light: after all, we are photographing the evening! (or, in case of special heroism, early morning:)

5. If you don’t have a tripod at hand, you can rest the camera on something or shoot on short shutter speed with high ISO. In some cases, the velvety quality of the grain will benefit the frame.

6. In the last minutes of the hour, even if it seems to your eyes that it is already completely dark, at a long shutter speed or high ISO the digital camera is still able to “pull” the deep blue color out of the sky. Try it.

7. When shooting the blue hour, a cable or remote control will not interfere - any swaying of the camera will blur the picture. If you don't have a remote control or cable, you can use a timer.

8. You can shoot cityscapes, landscapes, and deserted beaches during blue hour. Wide angle is better because it fits more of the blue sky into the frame.

9. A blue hour portrait is a difficult task not only for the photographer, but also for the model, and it is better to talk about this in a separate article. In short: if you are shooting at a slow shutter speed, the model will need to stand very still, and the image will still likely be blurry. On the other hand, it all depends on the author’s idea: if you want to shoot “ghosts,” this is just a very convenient way.

10. For city photography, I personally prefer the evening blue hour - and not only because I am a convinced night owl. Evening in the city more life in all its photogenic manifestations: cars drive with their headlights on, people walk, besides, in the morning the artificial lighting on the streets is already turned off, the windows are dark, the streetlights are not on. In the evening, these additional spots of light add expressiveness to the photo. However, sometimes the morning “drowsiness” of a frame plays into the photographer’s hands:

Blue and golden hour calculators

"Blue hour" is the time before sunrise and after sunset.
"Golden hour" is the time immediately after going out or before sunset.


Calculator time!
Calculator two!
The latest calculator does not know anything about the abolition of Winter Time in Russia, so it is recommended to make the adjustment manually. (for Moscow it is now +4)

There are also applications for smartphones.

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