New photographers are often told to shoot during the "golden hours", those halcyon moments around the sun's rising and setting when the world is bathed in a golden glow that somehow makes everything look better. Years of heeding this advice lead to advanced shooters reluctant to photograph outside this sacred window of opportunity.
To listen to the authorities there is no other time to wield a camera (except for the rara-avis who shoots only when the sky is overcast. These are the troglodytes who hide under a rock until the mean, shiny sun is going away. They huddle in front of their computer doing post-production until it's safe to play again.
Both of these camps miss the point. EVERY HOUR IS A GOLDEN HOUR. You only get so many in a day, and (sorry to say) your days are numbered.
Just as your best camera is the one you have with you, your best light is what you're shooting in. There is no time of day that can't be used to create photographs. Time permitting, no opportunity should go unpursued.
Beyond the issue of artificially restricting the time within which you can work, there are compelling reasons to shoot during the strong sun of midday--between the mythical golden hours. First and foremost, there are many things that happen only when the world has shaken off its slumber and the sun is high.
I spend a lot of time photographing gardens, plants and nature. Many flowers, particlularly the spectacular blooms of cacti and succulents, just don't open when the sun isn't shining brightly. Photographers who only venture out when the day is gray or the hours "golden" will never see the light of day with respect to these opportunities. Begging your pardon for the awful pun, you must be prepared to shoot midday if you are to capture these images (see Delosperma congestum above!).
Some of my favorite photographs are those showing patterns and textures. Everyone has seen glamour shots with lighting through Venetian blinds throwing repeating, razor-sharp shadows across model's legs. Unless you've got hundreds of watt-seconds of artificial light being pumped into the scene, this requires strong natural light. Characteristics of many surfaces and textures do not reveal themselves except in the brightest conditions. This requires lovers of pattern and texture to shoot midday.
Without bright light, high-contrast photographs are difficult, if not impossible to achieve. Strong light creates strong shadows, and the two together make the funky, arty photographs that adorn many a gallery wall.
The over-exposed portrait with blown-out background that is currently in vogue is easiest to accomplish with the assistance of full sun. Popular modern wedding photography includes liberal use of powerfully sun-lit scenes to create romantic portraits of happy couples with rays of light coursing through their entwined arms.
Back lit and rim lit photographs are difficult to create without the aid of midday sun. Whether light is bounced back into the scene or not, to get light coming through a flower's petal you have to have strong light on the other side....
When you've exhausted the potential for using the sun during the day, there is still plenty of photography to be done midday. There are always detail shots, macro work, and photography in full and dappled shade, to fill the hours until your next "golden" opportunity.
So don't let the "experts" convince you to put your camera down once the sun has risen. Every hour is a golden hour.
