It's a photographer's real luck to capture an amazing moment that can evoke real, sincere emotions in everyone who sees it. However, for the shot to be truly beautiful, not only the subject is important, but also the entourage surrounding it. That is why a professional photographer pays great attention to the surrounding atmosphere.

Have you ever heard of such a concept as "blue hour"? It seems too amazing to be true, but nature itself helps photographers by creating a special glow, against which all surrounding objects acquire expressiveness and look truly magical. But first things first.

What is the Blue Hour

In photography, the "blue hour " or "blue hour " is a special time that we can observe twice a day. The first "blue hour" can be observed in the morning, when it is already light, but the sun has not yet had time to rise from behind the horizon. In the evening, everything repeats, as soon as the Sun disappears below the horizon, the pre-sunset "blue hour" takes over.

To be fair, the "blue hour" does not last for 60 minutes. Depending on the time of the year and the geographic location of the photographer, this magic moment can last for several minutes.

What's good about the blue hour?

First of all, the blue hour is good because it is much easier to take pictures during this time than during the daytime when the sun is shining. There's no need to worry about shadows or harsh light.

But the biggest magic is the unusual blue glow that encompasses literally everything around you. Depending on the geographical location, the surrounding space can be colored in different shades of blue - blue, purple, pink. Against the background of this light the surrounding objects look completely different - more expressive and bright. All this is complemented by the appearance of electric lighting. It makes for some truly magical photos!

Also, at the very beginning of the "blue hour" the sky acquires a special gradient that can be photographed, for example, for textures. This is the one that photographers often "hunt" for.

What to shoot during the blue hour

There is an opinion among professional photographers that it is better to take pictures of big cities during the "blue hour". It is true in part because the blue hour is perfect for capturing the excitement of a metropolis. Illuminated bridges, cars rushing down the highway with their headlights on, industrial smoke billowing into the bluish sky - all this underscores the life of a big city that never stops even in the hour before dawn and before sunset.

The priority of urban landscapes in the "blue hour" is understandable, because on the background of blue light, which is saturated literally everything around, street lights, car headlights and other lighting, looks just charming.

In this case, do not confine yourself to just a cityscape. It is safe to say that this mysterious time is able to convey the special beauty of nature - mountains, forests and, especially, reservoirs. Such pictures always have an air of tranquility and peace, just look at the soft lighting of the reservoir and the varied palette of pink and burgundy shades of the sky reflection.

Bridges, piers, beaches, jetties and ships, in general any photo in which the sea reflects the blue sky are especially good against this blue background.

P.S.: Motorists will also appreciate this period: the sun is still not above the horizon, but visibility is like in the daytime, there is no lightening of objects and all the surroundings are very contrasting - you can relax your eyes after a night drive and in the evening do not forget to turn on your headlights.

Now you know what magic blue hour has , and you will definitely use this natural phenomenon to get the most amazing pictures!