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And if you want more photography stuff to read, there's a place on the interwebs where past emails I wrote are stored. You'll find 'em in the "Newsletter Hub."

Remember, I'd like to know what you want to know about photography. So, if you have any questions, email me at sam@samdamico.com. And for what it's worth. When you send me an email, unless someone's lookin' over my shoulder, I'm the only one that sees it.

Hello, .

A lotta photographers say the golden hour is the best time to make pictures.  

And I say in response that if we buy into axioms like this, we might as well buy into other rules and generalized guidance that limits our photography and ourselves as creatives, like the rule of thirds(turds).

Most photographers mean well with their advice, but their beliefs keep 'em from seeing the light.

In other words, adopting such limiting beliefs is a bad idea because it stifles us.  
 
Here's my take on "the golden hour is the best time of day to make a picture" stuff.

It's well-intended but could be more practical photography guidance.

There are two golden hours. 
 
And they happen at dawn and dusk when the sky isn't overcast. 
 
And while I can appreciate the characteristics of golden hour light, specifically the warm color as well as the directional and textural qualities, I'd be a crappy teacher if I told anyone that these are the optimal times of day to take pictures. 
 
When is the best time of day to make the best picture? 
 
The best time to make a best picture is whatever time of day we get the impulse to make one.

And if we're lucky, it's more than one time a day.  
 
For fun, we can say it's picture o'clock. 
 
But what about portraits? (a selfie is, of course, a self-portrait). 
 
The answer is the same, anytime we want.

And it ain't a bad idea to make pictures at different times of our 24-hour rotational period around the life and light-giving star that our ancestors worshiped, the sun, because when we do that, we become acquainted with different characteristics of light and how they influence our photography.
 
Although I talk about light in every aspect of my teaching and stress becoming familiar with its characteristics, our work is less than it can be if we don't know what we're doing with our camera.
 
As photographers, in a way, we worship the sun.

We honor the light deities by being more involved in using our cameras (a light recording tool) to thoughtfully observe and record the light bestowed upon us to make the best pictures possible. 
 
When we don't know how to use our camera to make the best picture possible of the light we're observing, we fall short of honoring the light we're working with. 
 
And this is less about angering the light deities than experiencing our frustration when our photographs don't come out how we intend them to.
 
I've got some classes scheduled.

The ways to study and practice photography with me are below.

Call me if you need help determining the best course of study and practice.  

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

Currently scheduled classes are below.

Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.

But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker, so sign up soon. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? Private in-person or online lessons suited to your schedule are always an option. 

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.

That's all for now; thanks for reading! 

Sam