I’m a night owl. Always have been, always will be. Sunrise? Never heard of her. While most people’s day starts with the rising sun, mine tends to start much, much later—somewhere between brunch and lunch. And mornings? Let’s just say they’re not my natural habitat.
But here’s the cruel irony: as a photographer, I’m painfully aware that the best light often happens at the most ungodly hour of the day. The morning golden hour—that fleeting, magical window of soft, warm light—calls to me like a siren. Unfortunately, it’s a siren that starts singing right when I’d rather still be in bed.
So, how does someone who despises early mornings reconcile this dilemma? Well, I found a solution. And it’s simpler than you think: don’t go to bed at all.
Mornings and I have always been at odds. Well, we actually hate each other. The sound of an alarm at 6 a.m. feels more like an existential crisis than a wake-up call. (For the record, my alarm is “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles—such a classic and cheerful choice, though I imagine it feels slightly less cheerful at that hour.) My brain doesn’t truly start functioning until midday, and even then, caffeine has to get it functioning properly.
When I started taking photography seriously, I knew that golden hour was a must. Strictly non-negotiable. But scheduling jobs in the morning? That was a whole new level of torture. Early weddings, sunrise engagement shoots—they always came with a cost: my sanity. And what´s more, early bookings for officials and venues are often cheaper. And when I started shooting my first weddings, they were all for my not-very-rich friends, who always booked the first slot. It was a perfect storm of affordability clashing with my deep disdain for early mornings.
And let’s not even talk about landscape photography. Nature doesn’t care about my sleep preferences. The best light demands you show up, tripod in hand, before the world is awake. But for someone who struggles to make it out of bed before 10 a.m., this felt like an impossible task.
Still, my passion for capturing the perfect light wouldn’t let me quit. I had to find a way to work around my natural tendencies. That’s when the idea hit me: what if I didn’t try to wake up early? What if I stayed up late instead?
Yes, why go to bed at all?
The idea was so simple it was almost laughable. Instead of fighting against my internal clock and battling groggy mornings, why not lean into my strengths as a night owl? If waking up early wasn’t an option, staying awake until sunrise was the obvious alternative.
The first time I tried it, still a young boy, I treated it as an experiment. After a late-night editing session (okay, fine, procrastinating on everything I could think of), I decided not to crawl into bed. Instead, I grabbed my camera, threw on a hoodie, and headed out. The world was eerily quiet, the streets still damp from the night before, and for the first time, I was wide awake to greet the golden hour. On the way, I passed a few unlucky souls heading to work, their faces already resigned to the day ahead.
There I was, setting up my tripod in a dew-covered field while a few joggers passed me, their bright sneakers kicking up sprays of water. They were starting their day, energized and ready to tackle life, and I was still riding the buzz of being awake all night, along with—and I admit—being still a little bit drunk from the evening wine tasting. It was surreal, slightly delirious, and, frankly, magical.
The light poured in, soft and golden, illuminating everything in a way that made the lack of sleep worth it. What surprised me the most was how sharp my brain felt. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the first time in my life that I was drunk, nor was it the first time I’d come home (or in this case, gone out) early in the morning. The surprising part was that instead of that foggy morning haze, I was alert—too alert, maybe, thanks to a mix of adrenaline and caffeine. And I felt great.
The pictures from that morning? Well, let’s just say they weren’t as great as I hoped. Or expected. But that’s not the point of this story. The main thing is this: photography is about creativity, and so is finding ways to make it work for you. Whether you’re a morning lark or a night owl, the light will always wait for those who chase it—even if you’re chasing it straight from the pub.
And never forget, luckily for us, there are always TWO golden hours a day.
And you know what? The afternoon one has better light anyway.
