Golden hour is one of the most popular times of day to take photos, and it’s not difficult to see why. The soft lighting can add a warm, welcoming feeling to your images—regardless of whether you’re taking pictures of landscapes or yourself.

Once you’ve developed your photos and put them through post-production, they’ll likely end up on social media. And when they do, you’ll want a killer caption to draw your audience in.

Here are the best golden hour captions you can use to accompany your images on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media platform you use.

1. “Chasing the Light”

Most of us will chase something throughout our lives, whether that’s a feeling or a dream. When the sun rises or sets, you’re technically chasing the light that comes from it—and the emotions it evokes.

This golden hour caption also summarizes photography itself. Almost the entire craft involves looking for the perfect lighting to make your images tell a story. So, if you’re a professional photographer—or aspiring to be one—this is a perfect choice of words.

2. “The Best Is Yet to Come”

The modern world has made many of us impatient. Many people feel pressured to have their lives together at a young age, and it can sometimes feel like the weight of everything is too much.

Sunrises and sunsets are more than pretty lighting; they signify new opportunities. If you’ve had a bad day, a sunset can provide the chance to reset and have a better one tomorrow. Meanwhile, a sunrise can serve as motivation to “carpe diem”.

This caption is also great to use if you’re working toward something big but haven’t begun seeing the results yet.

3. “Living in the Moment”

Social media and smartphones have made it more difficult for many people to be present in their day-to-day lives. Rather than appreciating what’s around us, we seek the next high and don’t permit ourselves to be happy until we achieve it.

But sometimes, we see something so beautiful that we have to stop. Golden hour is a reminder that the secret to happiness is finding joy in the little things, and life is there to be lived. This caption works well if you’re on vacation or simply want to remind your followers to appreciate what they’ve got.

4. “Sunkissed”

If you live somewhere with dark winters, you’ll know all too well how much of a mood booster a little daylight can be when the weather starts to get warmer. When you’re sitting on a beach in mid-August, and you feel the warm rays, it can feel like you’re being kissed by someone you love.

This golden hour caption is excellent if you’re outside and want to capture the emotions of feeling like the sun’s gentle warmth is kissing you. It works particularly well if you're out there perfecting the golden hour selfie. Speaking of which…

5. “Invest the Golden Hour in Your Selfie”

Golden hour is the perfect time to take selfies; the lighting can make your skin glow and look healthier. You could argue that a golden hour selfie is an investment in yourself—or at least in your dating profile pictures.

“Invest the golden hour in your selfie” is a reminder that you must invest in yourself if you want to improve. This might mean starting a mood-boosting workout plan that’ll give you more energy or buying a course that will enhance your professional skills.

This golden hour caption will work on social media if you want to highlight that you’ve made significant recent growth in your life. It can also serve as a motivator to others that they should look out for themselves.

6. “Less Bitter, More Glitter”

Holding grudges is a zero-sum game; you waste a lot of energy on someone who has probably given you no thought whatsoever while you were thinking about them. Hating successful people is also a waste of time; it’s better to find inspiration from what they’ve achieved and transmute that energy into building yourself up.

The best way to go through life is by being as positive as possible. The more you improve other people’s lives, the more good karma you’ll find comes your way.

This golden hour caption is great for those who have recently been hurt—such as a breakup or getting rejected for your dream job.

7. “The Sun Starts Each Morning With Bright New Rays”

The morning is when most of us are at our highest levels of optimism. Sunrises are a reminder that every day is a new chapter in our lives, and we can steer our ships in whichever direction we want to.

If you want to start your morning by spreading positivity on your timeline, this is a perfect caption to use. It’ll stand out among the constant barrage of negativity and could motivate your friends to see the good in life.

8. “Sometimes, It’s Worth Not Pushing That Snooze Button”

If you work a job you hate, it’s all too tempting to ignore your alarm and oversleep. But by waking up a little earlier in the morning, you can find solitude and beauty in equal measure.

Golden hour is a reminder that the little things in life are often the most satisfying and that the early bird often catches the worm. You’ll want to use this caption if you’d like to remind people that they can be whoever they want; life doesn’t need to be wasted.

9. “The Most Beautiful Sunsets Are the Ones We Share”

Modern life can be lonely for many people. Society emphasizes individual achievement; it’s all about the flashiest car, the coolest job title, and who has the most clout online.

But at our core, belonging to a community is a biological need for every human. Often, the most precious moments are those we have with others.

Golden hour captions like these are perfect for when you’re experiencing a sunset with someone else—whether that’s a friend, family member, or romantic partner.

10. “Golden Hour”

So far, we’ve gone through various deep and meaningful quotes to use for your golden hour captions. But if you can’t stand using those, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

Sometimes, blunt captions are the most effective ones on social media. “Golden hour” is perfect if you want to get your point across; you took a photo of the sun rising or setting and liked it—nothing more, nothing less.

11. “Following the Sun”

Following the Sun is a song that was released in October 2020, and it has achieved over 100 million plays on Spotify.

If you're out on an adventure and taking photos, this is the perfect caption to accompany the golden hour photos you take. Bonus points if you're on a road trip; in that case, it's also technically accurate.

12. “Gold and Gold”

We figured it would be good to weave dogs into the text for this one. Because let's be honest, who doesn't like dogs?

If you've got a golden retriever, "Gold and Gold" is a caption you might want to consider using when taking photos of your dog at sunset. Of course, you can also use this if you own another dog breed—or if you're out with a special someone.

13. “Sunset 🌞”

This is another simple caption that can use if you happen to be out around the same time that the sun is going down. It's particularly worth using around the summer when those nights often feel a bit warmer and the sunsets are often more soul-lifting.

You can use this caption for both selfies and landscape shots. If you want to grow an audience on Instagram in particular, consider checking out these top tips to help you get noticed on Instagram.

14. “Waiting for Longer Days”

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you might be used to short days during the winter. On the shortest day of the year, for example, the sun officially sets in London before 4pm. There's a degree of magic in those early sunsets, and you can shoot amazing winter photography, but many people look forward to more daylight hours toward the end of winter.

In February and March, the daylight hours begin to dramatically increase. So, if you post a picture of a sunset around these times, you may wish to use this caption.

15. “Beautiful Beginnings Are on the Horizon”

Are you starting a new job or an exciting project? If so, you may wish to use this caption to signal to your followers that things are about to dramatically change, and hopefully improve, in your life. You can use it for both sunrise and sunset images.

Get Your Golden Hour Captions Right

Golden hour is a great time to take photos, and the soft lighting can help improve your images without you needing to do much. But when the time comes to post your creations on social media, it’s easy to freeze and have no idea what you want to say.

Having read this guide, you should have some golden hour captions to use for your next photoshoot. And if all else fails, you can use “golden hour” to say it how it is.

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