Golden hour in New York lasts maybe thirty minutes, if you're lucky. It lights the West Village brownstones and throws long shadows down Midtown, and it makes a Lower East Side alley look like a film set. Then, often just as the model is in position or the outfit change is done, it's gone. Waiting for perfect natural light is a luxury we usually can't afford. Clients expect consistent results, and some of the best shoots happen with the sun straight overhead, or long after it has set and all we have is the city's artificial light. That is where off-camera flash comes in.
Why golden hour is hard to catch in New York
Golden hour is the window after sunrise or before sunset when the sun is softer, warmer and more diffused. It shapes faces, warms hair and turns the city orange and gold. With tall buildings and narrow streets, uninterrupted golden light is rare. One minute you have it, the next a building throws a big shadow or the angle shifts.
I've had plenty of shoots in Dumbo where we fight the shadows climbing the Manhattan Bridge, or try to catch the last sliver of sun on a building in Chelsea. Relying only on natural light means giving up something: the location, the timing or the client's vision. You end up chasing the light instead of making it. I like the look of natural light, but I needed a way to control it, stretch it, or make it when the conditions don't cooperate.
Off-camera flash for golden hour light
For years I resisted using off-camera flash (OCF) for natural-light looks. I was afraid it would look artificial. Modern equipment and a better understanding of light shaping changed that. The goal isn't to blast the subject with harsh light. It is to copy the quality of golden hour, make it last, or invent it when the sun is at its worst.
OCF lets you overpower or balance the ambient light. Say it's 2 PM on a bright summer day in the Flatiron District, and the overhead sun puts ugly shadows under the model's eyes. I can put a softbox with a strobe to her side to copy the direction and quality of a setting sun. I keep the aperture wide open for soft background blur, expose for the ambient background, and dial in the flash to light the subject, lift the shadows and add a warm glow. The flash shouldn't be obvious. The light should look good and look intentional.
The Godox AD800 Pro
For this kind of work I need a strobe that is reliable, powerful and versatile. The Godox AD800 Pro is a staple in my bag. I've tried smaller speedlights and bulkier studio strobes, and the AD800 Pro has the best balance of power, portability and consistency.
The output is what stands out in NYC. Overpowering a bright midday sun on the Brooklyn Bridge, or lighting a model against the neon of Times Square at night, takes a light that can cut through the ambient. The build is tough enough that I don't have to baby it on the subway or when setting up fast on a street corner. The color temperature is consistent, which means less color correction in post. (Full disclosure: This post contains an affiliate link for the Godox AD800 Pro on Amazon, which helps support my blog at no extra cost to you. Check it out here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GGH4Y4SJ?tag=dantet9-20)
Two setups
One evening we were shooting a portfolio update for a model on the Greenpoint waterfront, with the Manhattan skyline behind her. The sun was dropping fast, and within minutes the golden light was fading. Instead of packing up, I put the AD800 Pro in a 36-inch octabox with a grid and placed it off-camera to her right, where the sun would have been. I set the camera to expose for the twilight, then added just enough flash to light her with a warm, soft glow. The images look like peak golden hour, though it was well into blue hour. The power let me keep ISO low and hold detail on her and on the fading city lights.
The second was a commercial shoot in SoHo in the middle of a blazing summer afternoon. The client wanted a natural, sun-kissed look, but the sun was overhead, with harsh shadows and squinting. I used the AD800 Pro with a large parabolic softbox, high and slightly to the side. I exposed for the bright background and let it run a little over to keep the sunny feel, then used the flash as the main "sun." Feathering the light and adjusting its intensity gave soft highlights and filled the harsh shadows, so it looked as if the sun were lower. It looked natural, and I controlled the direction and quality.
Balancing ambient light and shaping shadows
Flash looks natural when you balance it with the ambient light and shape the shadows. If you just blast the subject, it looks artificial. I start by setting the camera's exposure for the background, whether that is the cityscape, the park or the street. Once the ambient light looks right, I bring in the flash.
The AD800 Pro adjusts power in small increments, so I can feather the light. I try it slightly above the subject, to the side, or behind for a rim light. Modifiers matter. A large softbox or octabox makes the light softer and more flattering, closer to the size of the sun as a source. Grids control spill, so the light goes where I want it and doesn't wash out the background. The shadows should look believable, not flat, and the highlights should glint like sunlight.
Creative control
With a powerful, reliable unit like the AD800 Pro, I'm no longer tied to the sun's schedule or the weather. I can plan a shoot for any time of day, knowing I can build the light I need. That helps in a city where location permits are time-sensitive and models' schedules are packed.
It also lets me try dramatic lighting setups in broad daylight, or bring back the warmth of a setting sun after it's gone. Clients get consistent results whatever the conditions, from the back streets of Bushwick to the Upper East Side.
Book a shoot
If you want consistent light on your look, book a photoshoot with Dante's Models at dantet9.com. If you shoot yourself, our free tools are at dantet9.com/tools.
