The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: July eleventh, making the most of the day's best light.

Serious photographers rise early in the morning and are often late for dinner. They know the half hour either side of sunrise and sunset is when the light is best for making pictures outdoors. Optical magic often occurs when the sun skims the horizon. Low-angled light is more diffuse than midday glare. Its longer passage through the atmosphere filters the color spectrum's shorter rays, letting the longer, warmer reds and oranges predominate. Golden hues create a feeling of well- being that makes for great portraits. The long shadows cast by a low sun can also give landscapes a three-dimensional feel.

While sunrises and sunsets are magnificent, don't focus all your attention on the event itself. Often, the truly special photographs are of objects illuminated or profiled by the low sun. Just turn around, one old photography adage goes, and you may find something even better to shoot.

Evening twilight, when the sky cycles from red to deep blue, is also an excellent time for taking photos that include artificial light. In fact, many famous "night" pictures were actually shot at dusk, the one time of day when relatively weak artificial light can compete equally with the brightness of the sky. Windows glow, passing cars cast ribbons of light and ordinary scenes take on extraordinary auras.

Finally, remember that the duration of the magic hour varies with the latitude. The further from the equator, the longer sunrises and sunsets last. In the tropics, they can disappear in a flash. Similar variations occur between mountain and ocean settings.

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