The “Blue Hour” is a period of twilight when the sun is at a great depth below the horizon, the residual, indirect sunlight then takes on a predominantly blue shade in the morning and in the evening. The blue color spectrum is most prominent when the sun is between 4 and 8° below the horizon.
I love photographing during the Blue Hour; honestly it is probably my favorite times of the day. I love the clarity and the varying hues of blue. I try to look for layers to showcase depth and reflections. I generally won’t use a filter, but if I do use one it is either a graduated ND filter or a CPL. The Blue Hour is a great time of the day for long exposures and the air doesn’t seem as hazy.
The Blue Ridge Mountains provides ample opportunities with the Blue Hour and one of the best places to photograph at this time of day is the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Parkway offers many different views and allows you to have many options, but really any place in our area of the Appalachian Mountains offers the same opportunity. Roan Mountain, Great Smoky Mountains and the Grayson Highlands are some more places I recommend to visit if you are looking to get some great shots during the Blue Hour.
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