By Scott Shephard

The golden hour is the hour just after sunrise and just before sunset. It is so-called because the light is warm and soft, which flatters human faces. It also flatters most everything else. And I think the dawn golden hour is best, though my preference may reflect my personality.

In the summer, there is less wind at sunrise (I don't like wind). At dawn the world seems quiet and subdued (I don't like a lot of noise.) And at dawn, there a generally few people out and about (yes, I like people but I don't like them watching me when I'm working a scene.)

This photo was taken on the second morning of the 2014 Black Hills Photo Adventure. And I think you can see evidence of all of the things I like about the early golden hour. There were people present on this morning at Lakota Lake. But they were workshop participants and they were scattered in their attempt to capture their own impressions of this beautiful place on this perfect early summer day.

Canon 5DIII 1/160s f/4.0 ISO250 100mm