The Golden Hour: An explanation

Right after college I worked on a couple of movies. One bigger production in particular I was able to work in the art department. This allowed me to be on the set everyday. My job was prop continuity, basically, I stood around and took hundreds on Polaroids of the props used in the scene. When the lighting dept. moved the set around to shoot different angles, I had to re-dress the set when they were finished. One day during a rare lull in activity I asked the cinematographer about a term he kept talking about, "The Magic Hour". He told me this is generally the last hour of the day or the first hour of the morning. He said the light has a warm quality and a generally softer aspect to it.

I am sure you have heard people talk about the "Golden Hour" in photography. It's the same thing as the "Magic Hour". The scientific reason is that as the sun sets, the light has to travel through more of the atmosphere. This causes a diffusion of the light, reducing its intensity and causing more light to come indirectly. It also reduces the lighting ratio and scatters the blue light rays so when you look at the sun as it sets it appears more red. This is where the warm reddish light comes from, hence the term "Golden".

A good example shot: Courtesy of my better half (Allison Rodgers)