Sunlight and Shadows: A Photo Walk Outside

Stand outside at lunchtime and look down. Your shadow is short, hiding right under your feet! Now go outside near dinnertime. Your shadow stretches out long across the sidewalk, like a giant is standing next to you. Same you, same sun — but a totally different shadow. Photographers use this shadow magic every single day to take amazing pictures.

Why your shadow gets shorter or longer during the day. What 'golden hour' means and why photographers love it. How to take two photos that show sunlight changing.

At noon, the sun is high up in the sky, almost right above you. Light comes straight down, so your shadow is squished small under your feet. In the morning and evening, the sun is low, near the edge of the sky. Light comes in at a slant, so your shadow stretches out long, way ahead of you or behind you. The sun doesn't move closer or farther — it's the ANGLE of the light that changes your shadow's size.

Photographers have a favorite time called 'golden hour' — the hour right after sunrise and the hour right before sunset. The light is soft, warm, and golden, and shadows are long and pretty instead of harsh. At noon, the sun is so strong and straight-down that people squint their eyes and dark shadows appear right under their eyes and nose in photos. That's why you'll see a lot of professional photos taken early in the morning or late in the afternoon!