Every photographer has a time of day they would choose if they could only ever shoot at one. Mine is the last hour before sunset.

What golden hour actually is

It is the hour or so before sunset, and it is not really golden. It is softer than that.

When the sun drops low, its light has to travel through more atmosphere to reach you. That spreads it out, warms it, and takes the hard edges off everything. Shadows stretch out long and forgiving. Skin stops looking like skin under a flash and starts looking like skin in a memory.

Then there is the stretch just after the sun goes down, when the whole sky turns blue and even. Photographers call it blue hour. I think it is the most underrated half hour in this job, because by then the sun is gone, the children have stopped performing, and everybody finally relaxes.

It is the trees, mostly

Photograph a family in the middle of an open field and you get beautiful light on its own. Photograph them with a stand of gums along one edge and you get beautiful light plus shadow. My favourite is both, and I will offer you sessions in either.

Rouse Hill Regional Park, and why it is my home ground

If you have looked through my work, a lot of it was taken here. It is close to home, so I know it the way you know your own backyard, and I think that shows.

What the park gives you is space. It is broad and mostly flat, so the light arrives without interruption and stays even right across the frame. That is exactly why it is my first suggestion for most sessions if you want that dreamy field backdrop. Lots of space, nobody standing in somebody else's shadow. Very few places in Sydney make that easy.

On a still evening the long grass holds its colour after the sun has gone, which buys you another ten or fifteen minutes when you need them. And there is nothing to navigate. You can park near the main tracks, no steps, nobody needing help over anything. Grandparents can walk out into the middle of it and stand comfortably.

I have photographed toddlers running laps here, babies asleep in a carrier, and one session with four generations in the same frame. It has not let me down yet. Maternity, newborn, family, this is a beautiful place for it. It's perfect at any time of the day, but it's magical at golden hour.

Family of four sharing a tender moment in a golden field at Rouse Hill Regional Park at sunset, parents kissing toddler and newborn baby.
Golden Labrador Retriever wearing a service dog harness sitting in a sunlit grassy field at Rouse Hill Regional Park at sunset.
Pregnant woman in red off-shoulder dress standing in golden field at Rouse Hill Regional Park at sunset, holding baby bump with eyes closed.
Pregnant woman in lace robe cradling baby bump outdoors at Rouse Hill Regional Park at golden hour, tattoo visible on hip.
Pregnant woman in white lace dress cradling her baby bump in golden sunset field at Rouse Hill Regional Park during maternity photoshoot.
Pregnant woman in white lace dress poses outdoors at golden hour at Rouse Hill Regional Park, arms raised, eyes closed, surrounded by trees.
A pregnant woman in a red dress poses with her husband and young son in a golden sunset field in Rouse Hill for a maternity photo.
A joyful family outdoors in Rouse Hill as a father tosses his young son high in the air while a pregnant mother watches and smiles.

Turkey's Nest, Beaumont Hills

The one I go to when I want the sky.

It sits on a hill overlooking Rouse Hill, which means height and horizon rather than trees and canopy. I have not found better sunsets anywhere in the Hills, and the whole place invites you to sit down and watch one.

That is unusual. At most locations I am moving a family around, chasing a gap in the trees, working for the light. Here a lot of the work is already done, and you get to enjoy it.

It is a sitting location rather than a walking one, which makes it easy on anyone with little children and on grandparents who would rather not be on their feet. Family sessions here feel unhurried in a way the others do not.

I have photographed my own family here. That is the most honest recommendation I can give a location.

Silhouette of parent lifting baby against vibrant sunset sky with orange and blue hues in Beaumont Hills.
Family of five smiling together under a large tree at golden hour in a park on Beaumont Hills.
Elderly grandmother tenderly kissing a baby in a green sweater outdoors near a tree in warm golden light at Turkey's nest, Beaumont Hills.
Elderly grandmother with gray hair tenderly holds and nuzzles a baby outdoors in warm golden light photoshoot in Beaumont Hills.
A woman and elderly grandmothers share kisses on a baby outdoors under a glowing tree at sunset in Turkey's Nest Reserve, Beaumont Hills.
Two teenage girls in blue jeans and tops hugging their mum outdoors at golden hour sunset on green grass overlooking Rouse Hill.
A family sitting together on a hilltop at sunset overlooking Rouse Hill, Beaumont Hills

A little paperbark grove, Beaumont Hills

This one does not get a name, and I hope you will forgive me for it.

It is a small stand of paperbarks in Beaumont Hills, the kind with papery trunks that peel in strips, and we normally have it to ourselves when photographing families here.

What it gives you is light coming in sideways through the trunks rather than over the top, so instead of one wide wash of gold you get thin bands of it falling through, with deep shade in between. It is the closest thing I have to a secret.

Toddlers love it. There is something about trunks you can walk between that turns a spot into a hideout. At my last session there, a toddler spent most of the time running laps between two trees, and every frame from it was usable.

It is the one location I would not hand over in a list. If you book a session with me, ask me where it is, and I will tell you.

Two toddler girls in dresses playing together on green grass in a sunlit park with large trees in Beaumont Hills.
Happy family of three outdoors, mother in black dress, father holding toddler son, smiling together in park in Beaumont Hills.
Happy family portrait outdoors, parents smiling and holding baby in green park setting with golden sunlit trees in Beaumont Hills.
Happy toddler girl in pink dress clapping hands on green grass in sunny park near large tree in a paperbark forest in Beaumont Hills.
Happy family with smiling parents holding a laughing baby outdoors in a sunlit park with trees during family photoshoot in Beaumont Hills.
Family of four smiling outdoors in a paperbark tree-lined park in Beaumont hills, parents holding two young toddlers on a sunny day.
Family of three walking through a forest in Beaumont hills with arms outstretched, parents and young child enjoying nature together.
Happy family of three smiling outdoors in a park in Beaumont Hills, parents holding young toddler boy between them during family photoshoot.
Parents kissing their baby girl on the cheeks in a lush green forest in Beaumont Hills during a family photo session.

The swing bridge walk, Cherrybrook

The one that looks like bushland without being hard to get to.

Come in from the Cherrybrook side and it is a short, easy walk, which means it works for small children and for anyone who is past thirty weeks pregnant. I do not suggest tricky locations to maternity clients, and I would not send someone that far along into anything awkward.

What you get for that easy access is a completely different look from everywhere else on this list. The canopy breaks the light up, so you are looking for gaps, patches and shafts coming through the trees rather than one clean wash of gold. Find one, put a mother and her toddler in it, and the result looks like something out of a film.

I have photographed two maternity sessions here, one of them with a toddler in tow. Both felt calm, which is the highest compliment I can pay a location.

Pregnant couple embracing on a The Swing bridge in Cherrybrook in lush greenery, woman in floral dress, man in white shirt.
Couple sharing a kiss on The Swing bridge in Cherrybrook surrounded by lush green forest trees.
Pregnant woman in green tie-dye dress leaning against tree in lush forest setting in bushwalk in Cherrybrook.
A pregnant couple in white outfits share a romantic moment in a lush green forest setting in Cherrybrook.
Pregnant woman in white lace lingerie and robe cradling her baby bump outdoors in Cherrybrook among lush green ferns.
Pregnant couple embracing in lush green forest,, in Cherrybrook, woman in white robe and floral bikini cradling baby bump.
Pregnant woman in white dress with young daughter on The Swing bridge in Cherrybrook surrounded by lush green forest.
Young girl in white dress looking up in wonder beside a large tree trunk in a lush forest setting on bushwalk in Cherrybrook.
A young girl in a white dress smiles in a lush forest in Cherrybrook while her parents embrace romantically in the background.
Pregnant woman in teal off-shoulder gown poses on The Swing bridge in Cherrybrook surrounded by lush greenery in a maternity photo.
Young girl in white dress standing on The Swing bridge in Cherrybrook surrounded by lush green trees and fallen leaves.

When golden hour actually happens here

This catches people out, because it moves a lot through the year. Roughly:

  • Summer, December to February: about 6:45pm to 8:15pm
  • Autumn, March to May: about 5:00pm to 7:00pm
  • Winter, June to August: about 4:00pm to 5:30pm
  • Spring, September to November: about 5:30pm to 7:30pm

Two things worth knowing about that list.

Daylight saving shifts it. The clocks change on the first Sunday in October and the first Sunday in April, and everything moves an hour on those weekends.

And in the middle of summer, golden hour is after most toddlers' bedtime. A seven-thirty sunset is beautiful and completely useless if your two-year-old goes down at seven. It is the main reason I point families with small children towards spring and autumn, and families with older kids towards summer.

So if you have small children and you want that light, aim for March, April, September or October. Or accept an earlier start and we will use the soft light before the real golden hour, which is a very good second prize.

If you want the light

I photograph maternity, newborn, family and motherhood sessions across the Hills District, and most outdoor sessions are planned around golden hour for exactly the reasons above.

If you have a spot that means something to you, tell me and I will work out whether the light does something lovely there. And if you do not, I have four favourites I am always happy to share.