In photography, we call the golden hour the period just after sunrise or just before sunset. During that brief, fleeting time, the light is at its softest and warmest and is generally when the most pleasing pictures can be obtained.
Certainly you can take pictures any time of day but it is during those two periods that many of your best images are likely to be obtained and is the reason most shutterbugs are early risers. This image, taken this past Saturday, shows just how incredible the amber light can be and how it helps to create a great image.
The coyote was out and about 15 minutes after sunrise, combing the field looking for breakfast. It stopped its hunt briefly to look around and I snapped this image. The golden light coupled with already amber grasses and the similarly colored coat of the watchful coyote create, IMHO, a very warm and pleasant picture.
