“The Golden Hour” is an elusive time, one of God’s miracles that happens twice a day, whether we notice or not. Just after sunrise and just before dusk everyday the sun gets low in the sky, making the shadows long and deep, giving definition and a certain quality to the subject that has been sought out by visual artists for centuries. Prior to photography, painters would often set up their easels in these spots in the day, when the light is just right.
As a Director of Photography I, along with everyone else in my trade, am consistently urging clients who want to capture natural beauty of talent, or spectacular exterior scenes, to let us wait for “the golden light” either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. I never knew where the term “golden hour” came from, and still don’t know for sure, but I am a fan of famous quotes and was reading Bartlett’s Famous Quotations when I came across this:
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Originally posted on Feb. 16, 2009: The Aquarium Concept
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This dude has one awesome “real” aquarium >>

The Aquarium Concept.

Pretty sight, isn’t it? It’s not mine, in fact, I have never had success taking care of tropical fish. It’s just not my “thing”, even though I enjoy scenes like this. I do have an “aquarium” of sorts, but it has no glass, rock or water, only thoughts and dreams. My aquarium was a total mess for a long time, until I came to terms with this:

In order for things to flourish, they must have a good environment. This goes for people and fish and ideas too. You can have an aquarium, with some beautiful young fish but if you don’t take care of them (as I found out at age 10) soon algae grows in the tank, the fish start looking sickly, and then die off. Sounds simple, and it is, but looking at your life and your goals this way takes a little practice. It’s the same with ideas, projects, art, poetry, music, film, video, job search, family relations; whatever the passion, the aquarium concept holds true.
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