Twilight, or "Blue Hour" as photographers prefer to call it, is the most special time of the day for architectural photography. Depending on the time of the year and geographic location, "Blue Hour" can last several hours or just minutes. In the UAE, it lasts a mere 15 minutes, regardless of the month. It occurs approximately 30 minutes before sunrise or 30 minutes past the sunset.
But what is it that makes "Blue Hour" so special for architectural photography?
It's that magical time of the day when natural (ambient) and artificial lights meet at a point where their intensities are equalised.
During the "Blue Hour", interior lighting reveals interior features and spaces which are invisible during the day. We get to see how they relate to architectural exteriors and structural elements. Architectural design intent becomes fully visible and appears complete. At this quickly fleeting moment of a day, urban, architectural and landscape lighting design are rendered gracefully, without the overpowering brightness of any single light source. Most importantly though, "Blue Hour" shots tend to convey emotion and drama in a way daytime or night-time photos can't.
You will notice that most iconic shots of architecture are shot at that particular time of the day. And if you are a photographer, you will also notice that it is the “Blue Hour” shot of a building your client and every buyer will want. Ironically enough, it is the “Blue Hour” shots which get stolen the most; a testament to how powerful and appealing the photos shot at that time of the day really are.
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