Late Afternoon Sun

The only upside I can see to it being winter and the days being incredibly short is the fact that the sun sets so much earlier.  When the sun is setting you get such flattering light as the colors are so much warmer and richer, and because the sun is low in the sky, you don't have to worry so much about shadowing.

We had a late afternoon walk down to a little pond we have near our house where we go to feed the ducks and birds - as the sun was reasonably low it was nice to try to get some of those shots where you are shooting into the sun.  These would have been a lot better if it had been "Golden Hour" proper - the hour just before (or just after) sunrise - we were probably still at least a good hour away from that so the sun was still just that little bit too high.

F2.8 / 1/400 / ISO200

F2.2 / 1/400 / ISO 100

F2.2 / 1/400 / ISO 100

F2.0 / 1/800 / ISO200

These were all taken with the sun in front of me, but if you have the sun behind you (lighting your subject) you can get nice even skin tones with no shadowing.  If you haven't yet tried shooting at this time of day, give it a go! 

F2.5 / 1/400/ ISO250

F2.2 / 1/400 / ISO100

* Updated - I was asked for some lens and settings info so I've added these under the photos.  All were taken with the 85mm F1.8 Lens, all between F2.0 and F2.8, shutter speed 1/400, and ISO between 100 and 200.