With dark evenings and even darker mornings during winter, it’s no wonder that many people are suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder – a type of depression that comes and goes in alignment with the seasons. It’s also called the ‘Winter Depression’ (i). Searches for SAD are up 90% this month alone.
Ways to improve SAD include ‘getting as much natural sunlight as possible’ and spending more time outside. That said, Ferry operator DFDS has found the top 10 European cities for golden hour, and what time you can catch it this winter so you can reap the benefits of travelling and feel at one with the sun yet again, despite it still being the middle of winter.
- Average sunrise and sunset times reveal the ultimate golden hour times for popular holiday destinations.
- London is the most popular destination for Golden Hour with more than 122,020 Instagram posts.
- 7:44 am and 15:09 pm are the best times for Golden Hour in the capital, London.
The Golden Hour picture is a global phenomenon amongst professional and amateur photographers alike as the sun provides glorious soft tones that make for an effortlessly beautiful picture. But when is the best time to capture that golden hour glow?
Ferry operator and travel experts DFDS have created The Ultimate European Golden Hour Guide which provides insights into the best time to catch Golden Hour for a selection of UK’s most popular European holiday destinations, including where to take the perfect golden hour photo for each popular location.
London revealed as the most popular European location for Golden Hour
The findings reveal London as the most popular location for Golden Hour with just over 122,020 Instagram posts featuring golden hour hashtags.
The remainder of the top 3 are both cities in France – with Paris coming in second, and Nice third. The UK is also repeated in the list, with popular beach destination Brighton being the ninth most popular city for Golden Hour pictures.
By analysing the average times of sunrises and sunsets across the winter months, DFDS calculated the ultimate golden hour times for morning and evening photo opportunities across all the popular destinations which are available to view here.
For London, early birds reap the benefits as the best time to catch Golden Hour in the morning is 7:44 am and in the evening’s peak time to benefit from the golden hour is 15:09 pm.
| The most popular golden hour destinations and their ultimate golden hour times | |||
| City/Town | Total of ‘Golden Hour’ Hashtags | Ultimate Golden Hour TimeAM | Ultimate Golden Hour Time PM |
| UK – London | 122,020 | 7:44 AM | 15:09 PM |
| Frances – Paris | 55,179 | 08:23 AM | 16:09 PM |
| France – Nice | 39,535 | 7:46 AM | 16:07 PM |
| Italy – Venice | 34,695 | 7:32 AM | 15:41 PM |
| Germany – Berlin | 33,603 | 7:54 AM | 15:10 PM |
| Spain – Barcelona | 16,945 | 8:00 AM | 16:34 PM |
| Portugal – Lisbon | 13,130 | 7:38 AM | 16:26 PM |
| Republic of Ireland – Dublin | 12,301 | 08:17 AM | 15:25 PM |
| United Kingdom-Brighton | 12,190 | 7:41 AM | 15:12 PM |
| Spain – Madrid | 12,107 | 8:21 AM | 17:00 PM |
Where to go to catch the best golden hour glow
The research team also carried out in-depth research to reveal the most popular locations for taking the best golden hour photo in Europe.
The locations selected include the most popular photography spots for each location which can be used as main focal point of an artistic golden hour shot or the backdrop for a Golden Hour selfie.
| City | Location |
| London | Houses of Parliament, from the south bank |
| Paris | The Eiffel Tower |
| Nice | Russian Orthodox Cathedral |
| Venice | Rialto Bridge |
| Berlin | Brandenburg Gate |
| Barcelona | Parc Güell |
| Lisbon | Miradouro da Senhora do Monte |
| Dublin | The Temple Bar |
| Brighton | Brighton Palace Pier |
| Madrid | Monumento Alfonso XII Madrid |
DFDS partnered with expert photographer Kaye Ford of Fordtography to reveal why golden hour is so popular and why photos look so good during it, as well as her expert advice on golden hour photography.
Kaye said: “We look so good in golden hour selfies for several reasons. Firstly, warmth looks good with any skin tone and due to colour theory, the warmer yellows and oranges give off those happy vibes.
Secondly, the sun being lower in the sky means we can take photos in the direct sunlight without it being harsh and without us squinting. It’s the only time direct sunlight is flattering for portraits without needing extra equipment.
My advice would be to always face the sun and embrace that golden glow. Underexpose the camera a little bit to really take advantage of the colours that can occur. The oranges and reds can look so” much better when underexposing the camera a little bit. Top tip? Underexpose on a phone by tapping the screen and sliding it down.
Stephen House, Head of Campaign & Product Marketing at DFDS said: “Organising a European getaway, whether you’re an avid photographer or simply a travel lover, is made even more magical by catching the sun what it’s at its best. That’s why we’ve created this detailed guide to make sure you’re getting the best out of your travels.
Plus, it means you’re guaranteed to be returning home with beautiful holiday snaps that act as the perfect reminder of your time away – as well as an Instagram feed that is full of effortlessly stunning pictures that will evoke travel envy amongst your friends.”
You can find more information on The European Golden Hour Guide here. https://www.dfds.com/en-gb/passenger-ferries/press/european-golden-hour
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