How many times have you felt disappointed by the quality of the picture because of poor lighting and its consequences? Be it a professional or amateur photographer the quality of light matters for that WOW factor. But one will ask what good quality light is? Often times my friends ask me, we use flash for our pictures and still we do not get the right picture quality. It is a misconception that one can achieve great picture quality with Flash. I would say not exactly. The subject of your shoot, landscapes or people will determine which specific qualities you will want the lighting to have, and one of the most important things you should know about lighting is there are two types, Hard Light and Soft Light.
I know, I know – you are thinking what in the world is Hard light or Soft Light.
Hard Light:
Hard light is a light that generally casts dark shadows and produces high contrast pictures with deep blacks and bright highlights. The shadows have a very distinct or hard edge, so that the outline of the object closely reflects the shape of the shadow. Light that comes from a single, point source, such as a bulb, and falls directly on the subject from one direction, without being reflected of another surface, is known as hard light. Hard light tends to produce sharp-edged shadows.
Soft Light:
Soft light, as the name suggests, is the opposite of hard light. It means that the light that falls on the subject comes from multiple sources, from multiple directions or from a single, very large light source (Ex: Sun). It does not cast deep shadows, and where it does, it has a soft edge, rather than an abrupt transition from dark to light. In short Soft light is that light which lacks distinct shadows. Soft lighting is light which originates from a large area. Think of an overcast day, when the sun’s light is filtered through clouds covering the entire sky – shadows are very soft.
An easier way to find out if the light is hard or soft for an outdoor shoot is to notice your shadow. The light on a sunny day, when you are not standing in the shade, is quite hard, and you will be able to spot a clear outline of your shadow on the ground. But step into the shade, and your shadow disappears. This is because you are now lit by reflected light, rather than by the sun directly.
The easiest way to create soft light is to bounce the light of a surface before it reaches the subject, or, where the light shines directly on the subject, to bounce some of it back from the opposite direction.
Light can be bounced by redirecting it off a highly reflective medium, such as a white wall or ceiling or anything that reflects light without adding a color cast to it will make a good reflector for most situations. Most professionals carry a reflector with them for the same purpose. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors and made from a variety of materials.
The easiest way to soften the lighting in your flash photos is to bounce the light from the flash unit off a large white surface. White walls and ceilings work very well for this, as do large portable folding reflectors. You can also buy Diffusers that attach to your flash that can help as well, either by distributing the light in more directions so the light can bounce off walls and ceilings, or by increasing the light-producing area somewhat. One could also use Softboxes, or an Umbrella lined with white or silver reflective material to bounce the light.
Last but not the least, remember that colored surfaces will add a color cast to the light. This is something you should always be aware of, when bouncing light in interior spaces.
This concludes my short course on Lighting Techniques, Light Types to consider during Flash Photography. I hope reading this will help you take better pictures with Flash.