82 REVEALING SHAPE AND CONTOUR
THE SIZE OF THE LIGHT
Selecting the size of the light is one of the most important steps in studio
lighting. Time of day and weather determine the size of the light outdoors.
In previous chapters, we discussed how adjusting the size of the light
makes the edges of the shadows harder or soer. If two shadows record as
the same gray, a hard shadow will be more visible than a so one. For this
reason, a hard shadow oen increases the illusion of depth more than a so
one. When we understand this concept, we have another way to manipulate
the tonal values, and thus control the sense of depth, in our pictures.
is seems to say that hard lights are better lights, but depth alone does
not make a good picture. A ...