The closer the light source, the softer the light. The farther the light source, the harder the light. The closer the light source is to the subject, the more gradual those transitions will be.
If an off-camera flash is too hard, moving the flash closer to the subject is a simple adjustment. The more intense the light source, the harder the light. Adjusting the intensity of the light can affect the quality of your light too. To create hard light, use a flash with high power. To create soft light, turn down flash power to a much lower setting. Using a mix of size, distance, and intensity, photographers can create the type of light that works best for their shot. An unmodified on-camera flash typically creates hard light.
Controlling that hard light to get the right look, however, is challenging. On-camera flash creates a paparazzi-like look. The look is sometimes favored for a specific high-fashion look. Leave the flash unmodified for hard light. TTL mode is often overly bright and creates hard light as is. But manual mode is there for even more control of the light output. Split lighting, for example, is a type of light that lights only half the face.
The pattern often works well with hard light. You can create it by placing the light 90 degrees to one side. Like on-camera flash, leave the light unmodified.
Or use a grid for a more narrow light source. Finding hard light is as easy as going outside on a sunny day excluding just after sunrise and just before sunset. The sun may be a large light source. The tricky part? Getting the hard light to fall just right. Avoiding noon, careful subject placement and reflectors can help create artistic hard light.
Window light can also be hard if the sun is positioned directly outside the window. Ultimately, you may need a flash or strobe to perfectly control hard light. The first is light source size and the second is light source placement. An umbrella does basically the same thing except that the box contains any light from escaping and bouncing around the environment.
Both the umbrella and the light box create larger light sources out of the original ones. For some reason, most people prefer soft cast shadows rather than crisp ones. Another thing large light sources tend to do is to create a softer more gradual transition from light to dark, on the subject. If the light source is relatively small harsh , the transition between light and dark happens in a very small area whereas if the light source is larger in size, the transition takes place over a larger area of the subject.
Most people tend to prefer a less harsh light when photographing most types of subjects. Relatively small light sources, like bare flash heads and small light boxes tend to create crisper shadows and cast shadows.
The smaller the source, the crisper the shadow, and like I mentioned earlier, people tend not to prefer crisper shadows and cast shadows. So why, you might ask, would anyone ever want to use a small light source? One very big advantage of small light sources is that it tends to emphasize texture, and texture helps you make that two-dimensional food photo of yours just a little bit more three-dimensional. The thing I like most about this light is that it emits a light quality that is crisp, but not too crisp.
I have a similar sized fresnel Mole Richardson hot light, about the same size, but the light it emits is way crisper than the Norman, too crisp. Making a light panel is cheaper than buying a light box and it also has the advantage of allowing the photographer to graduate the light coming through the panel.
In a light box, the light is pretty much equidistant from the front of the box, creating a very even light output. All the corners of the box are equally bright. With a light panel, you can manipulate the light and make one area of the light box brighter than another, causing a graduated effect in the light output and in any reflections of the light panel that might occur on the subject. If the reading is equal or close to equal, you will get a natural effect with improved hair texture.
If you choose, you can increase the intensity of the hairlight to produce a more dramatic effect. Your hairlight should be placed high and slightly behind the subject and aimed toward the subject's hair. You can use any type of light source as long as you can adjust it so that it reaches only those areas you want to illuminate. For example, you can use a strobe with a small reflector. You can also use a soft box or a small to medium-sized strip light fitted with louvers for more precise light control.
Regardless of the type light you select, it is best to mount your hairlight on a boom, a track system or some other type of ceiling support system. Hairlights aren't the only type of accent lights. You can add an accent light, called a kicker, from any position that allows you to illuminate only the area you want to accent.
For example, a kicker can be behind and to the side of the subject. This light can add a rim of light along the side of the subject's face, adding interest and sparkle to the photograph. Generally, portraits are classified in one of three keys — low key, middle key or high key. Low key portraits are created using a dark background and dark clothing and props. You can identify the key of a portrait by determining the average tone for the scene.
Generally a low key portrait would have more dark elements than bright ones. Clothing and background might be black or dark browns giving the feeling of drama or rigidity. Low key portraits may also be shot with a higher lighting ratio near as contrast is acceptable due to the drama of a lower tone. A high key portrait setup would involve the use of a white or off white background and brighter clothing.
A high key portrait can be challenging as it requires a great deal of light control and has the most risk of overexposure and loss of detail. In general they would have a low lighting ratio near A common background for high key portraits is paper which is slightly overexposed resulting in a pure white seamless background and a feeling of cleanliness. Great care is usually taken to separate the subject from the background to eliminate shadows.
These portraits also tend to require more light and thus more power and lighting equipment to create. As expected, a photo which has tones in the middle of high and low would be called a middle key portrait. Often middle key portraits will use skin tone to set the mood. In these cases, clothing may be used to accent the tone of the skin with contrast rather than allow all elements to blend together.
Often a high key portrait can be converted to a middle key portrait by reducing exposure. Often the background sets the tone for the image and as such key should be a consideration at the beginning of a portrait setup.
A background should not take focus off of the subject, but rather help lead the eye to the subject in the final image. Some photographers make a distinction between ambient light from natural sources , such as sunlight, and ambient light produced by artificial lighting from manmade fixtures, such as a streetlight. You should be aware of that and take care to describe the lighting more specifically for your images. One technique is to reflect ambient natural light into a shaded area in order to create a more diffuse light.
This is called open shade, and it gives your subject a soft, even, and gentle glow. You can use modifiers to reflect it. You can also either have your subject move around until you achieve the desired lighting or you can move around your subject.
Flat lighting is when you have the light source facing directly onto the front of your subject. Shadows tend to draw out imperfections, and so, this is a great technique to use if your subject has acne, other blemishes or wrinkles. It also works well if your subject is oozing with character. In that case, flat lighting will allow the natural appeal to shine through. Broad lighting is actually a type of side lighting.
It would be less desirable, however, if the subject already has a full face. Broad lighting is also a technique that gives more contrast to the image than other types of lighting. To set this up, you simply place your light source at a forty five degree angle from your subject, and then have your subject turn away from the main light source until you achieve the desired effect. Short lighting is the opposite of broad lighting. This is where the shadow falls on the side of the face closest to the camera.
This technique is flattering to most facial types, but in particular, it works well to make a full face look thinner. Short lighting is ideal for low-key images, in part because of the heavy contrast it provides.
The set up for this is similar to that for broad lighting. You start with the light source positioned at a forty five degree angle from your subject. Split lighting is where the light source hits the subject from the side at a ninety degree angle.
It creates a split of light and shadow—half of your subject will be in the light and half will be in the shadow. This technique tends to create more dramatic images. It often makes your subject appear tough and more masculine. This type of lighting also tends to emphasize the texture of the skin and the details of the face. It gives a sense of assertiveness and can also be used to emphasize glamour. You simply put the light source at a ninety degree angle to the direction your camera is shooting, and it should be hitting your subject on their side.
It also helps if the light is slightly behind the subject. The technique can be made more or less dramatic by softer or harder light sources. Sources of harder light will make the shadows more dramatic and the image will be more intense.
Backlighting is just what it sounds like—the light source is behind your subject. It can be used to create silhouettes, or you can combine it with certain atmospheric conditions—like fog—to get more dramatic images.
One of the problems with this lighting technique is that you can lose clarity in your subject because it is backlit. That creates a nice glow that is a welcome contrast to the dark background.
Rim lighting is where the light hits the subject at an angle, such that it creates highlights along the edges of your subject. You can create this in the studio with a single light source positioned behind your subject. Then, have your subject turn until the light creates a rim highlight along the edges.
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