HARD AND SOFT LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Today we are discussing one of the most fundamental lighting issues in photography: the difference between shooting in hard and soft light. Hard light produces well-defined, dark shadows and tends to originate from a single light source, which is usually either small or located far away. By contrast, soft light produces either soft shadows or no shadows at all. It can be generated from several light sources, by diffusing light using some kind of barrier, or by reflecting light off of different surfaces so that the subject is hit from various angles. In natural lighting conditions, hard light is produced on a sunny day when there is little or no cloud cover, and when the sun is high in the sky—which is something that is generally to be avoided, particularly by beginners. Shooting in other kinds of weather, such as cloudy days, foggy conditions, or even when there is air pollution, will produce soft light, as the sun’s rays are reflected or diffused by the particles in the air. ...