golden hour
noun phrase

(1)  the first hour after a serious medical event or injury during which treatment is likely to be the most effective

(2)  the period of the day just before the sun sets or after it rises, when the light is redder and softer than usual so that photographs taken in it have a pleasing quality

Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

R. Adams Cowley is credited with promoting the golden hour concept, first in his capacity as a military surgeon and later as head of the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Because some injuries can cause people to deteriorate extremely rapidly, the lag time between injury and treatment should ideally be kept to a bare minimum; this has come to be specified as no more than 60 minutes, after which time the survival rate for people who have sustained trauma is alleged to fall off dramatically.

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PHOTOGRAPHY

In photography, the golden hour refers to the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset, during which daylight is redder and softer than when the sun is higher in the sky.

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THE MAGIC HOUR

The period of time shortly before sunrise and shortly after sunset is called the “MAGIC HOUR,” especially by cinematographers.

During this time the brightness of the sky matches the brightness of streetlights, signs, car headlights and lit windows. Also, during this period of time there are no sharp shadows because the sun has set (or hasn’t risen). This magic hour is actually closer to twenty or thirty minutes.

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THE BLUE HOUR

The period of time shortly before the magic hour at sunrise (or after at sunset) is called the blue hour, when the sun is at a significant depth below the horizon and residual, indirect sunlight takes on a predominantly blue shade.

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SYNONYM (golden hour)

window of opportunity

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SAMPLE SENTENCE

“Bill received emergency treatment within the GOLDEN HOUR and has now made a complete recovery.”

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SOURCES

- Wiki
- Steven Ascher, The Filmmaker’s Handbook, 5th edition, 2019, p. 428.
- Blain Brown, Cinematography: Theory and Practice, 3rd edition, 2016, p. 283.