What is the difference between soft and hard light in photography?

A big misconception is that soft light can only be found during "golden hour" and only using natural light. Soft light refers to the quality of the light. It is more even and does not cast harsh shadows. Light can be modified with diffusers like scrims that allow light to pass through it while reducing contrast.

Soft light has the following characteristics: 1. It's BIG (relative to the size of the subject). 2. It's diffused (light traveling through clouds, sheets, paper, etc.) 3. It creates soft shadows (soft edges). If your light meets these criteria, then it's a soft light.

Soft light when using the natural light source of the sun happens when the sun is low, causing long shadows and fuzzier edges to those shadows. These normally happen an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset. Known as golden hour.

To me, soft light is inviting. It lets you in.It softens your senses. It calms your emotions and allows you to let the message or subject of the image into your universe. That’s not the only way it can be used, but it is a very effective way to use it.

Soft light creates an even flow across the subject, reducing shadows and hotspots. You know you are not in soft light if you see a glare.

In the world of outdoor plant photography, the choice between using hard light or soft light can make a significant difference in the final result. Both types of lighting have their own unique benefits and can be used to create stunning images. When it comes to using hard light, it can be particularly advantageous when capturing detailed textures and intricate patterns on plants. The strong shadows created by hard light can add depth and dimension to the photograph, enhancing the overall visual appeal. Hard light is also excellent for showcasing vibrant colors and creating a sense of drama.

La fotografía es el arte de pintar con luz, por lo tanto el elemento más importante para hacer fotografía es la luz. La principal fuente de luz es el sol (luz blanca), cuando está llega a un objeto de manera directa es una luz dura que proyecta sombras y texturas muy marcadas, a diferencia de cuando es filtrada entre las nubes se convierte en luz suave, este principio se aplica a fashes y lamparas utilizando reflectores o difusores. La luz suave es mi favorita para hacer retrato. Pero la luz dura a veces no se puede modificar como en escenas con luz ambiente. Un evento deportivo por dar un ejemplo. Debemos de adaptarnos y modificarla según nuestro criterio.

Hard light in the outdoors is captured during the midday, when the sun is at it’s highest, and when the clouds are away. Hard lighting is hard to battle and can be hard on your exposure triangle. When shooting in hard light outdoors it may be beneficial to use filters like polarizing or variable neutral density filters to filter out some light but keep the fine hard edges of shadows. This helps to keep the exposure right to not blow out highlights.

Hard light is that 12pm/high noon light with harsh, unflattering shadows. It can be created at any time of day with lighting and adjusting the direction of light. It's also used to create really cool, dramatic lighting for fashion and product photoshoots. If there is a hard line at the edge of the shadow it is an example of hard light.

Hard light creates pointed shadows and hot spots on the subject, chiseling every edge or blemish on the surface. You know you are not in hard light if you do not see a glare.

Les termes ?dure? et ?douce? sont trompeurs. Ici ce n’est pas la puissance de la lumière qui est importante, c’est sa distance relative à celle du sujet. C'est ainsi que vous pourrez les reconna?tre.

Learning to recognize the light is important to understand designing your own lighting set ups. If you know how it works, you can recreate the set up again and again to have consistent quality photos.

The quickest way to recognise light is to critically look at it in your own pictures. Change the light, take a shot then spot the difference. A bowl of mixed fruit with the camera on a tripod in manual mode means you can try a number of lights and spot how the highlights and shadows change across a variety of surfaces!

Experiment with different light setups to understand their impact. Position a significant light source, like a softbox, close to your subject for soft light. Alternatively, use a more minor, distant source for more complex light. Play with reflectors to control shadows—employ white reflectors for gentle fill light or black ones for defined shadows. If outdoors, utilize natural elements like walls or foliage to modify light. Continuously assess and adjust your setup to achieve your photos' desired mood and emphasis.

Light can be created with off camera flash, flashlights, lanterns, string lights, anything that creates light. The important things to remember are the quality of light - whether it is hard or soft - and the direction of light. Lighting above the face looks magical, while lighting below the face looks like a monster movie.

Vous avez tout un tas de moyen pour créer de la lumière. Voici quelques outils pour cela : - Les flashs de studio - Les flashs cobra - Les sources de lumière continue - Etc...

When you design your photoshoot, light should be considered when choosing the theme. A high fashion theme might have harsh light to show off the eyeliner or lipstick, while a portrait might have soft lighting to reduce visibility on wrinkles and acne.

When one is outdoors, using the light from the sun and the shade can be very interesting. Images taken in stark. sunlight usually have more depth of field, higher contrast and sharper details. Take the same subject and move in under a large shade tree. There you can get a much less contrasty and a shorter depth of field for a completely different image, taken only a few feet from the bright sunlight image.

As per my experience, Always start with natural lighting conditions and experiment as much as you can to learn about the shadows, This will help you understand the depth of highlights and shadows before experimenting with studio lights or adding highlights to your subject.

Una de las finalidades de los modificadores de luz en estudio es precisamente distribuir la luz en áreas mayores creciendo asi la fuente de iluminación y obtener diferentes suavidades. Sin embargo al alejar una fuente de iluminación grande la relación entre sujeto y fuente lumínica puede hacer peque?a la fuente y por lo tanto endurecerla. Así que un factor muy importante es la relación entre sujeto y fuente de iluminación

Here’s a tip to find the best shadows in an overcast day. Use your hand. Hold your hand out in front of you and spin, wherever you have to most appealing shadows to you on your hand is where you need to place your subject.