Golden Hour (or Golden Five Minutes at Lake Okareka) is often spoken of as the best light for photography. For some subjects, though, it is not the best light. Currently the Harakeke/Flax is in full bloom attracting Tui and Starlings with their iridescent plumage. First thought would be that low warm light would make their plumage extra lovely but I have found diffused shaded light far better.

The above image was captured in typical golden light just before the sun set and while it shows the iridescence of the Starling’s plumage it is just not nearly as good as this next image taken in diffused light after sunset.

These following photos of Tui show the same excellent iridescence and colour in diffused soft light. All of these images have been processed from RAW files shot with the Nikon flat profile with no saturation added at any stage of processing.

I am a big fan of soft diffused light. One of the benefits is that it is very versatile but sometimes it is also the best light for the subject.

Photos with Nikon Z9 and Nikkor Z 800mm f6.3 VR S