Nikon D3200 Digital Field Guide

The Quality of Light

The quality of light is a term that you hear photographers and filmmakers talk about when describing how the light interacts with the subject. I am talking about hard light and soft light. Many times, hard light is considered bad and soft light is considered good. It is important to understand that the quality of light, either hard or soft, is not good or bad, but depends on the situation in which the light is being used, and how you want to represent the subject.

5.2 I placed the softbox as close to the model’s face as I could, as you can see in this production photo. The light was then angled across the subject to produce a softer, more flattering light. Exposure: ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/250 second.

Hard light comes from a small, bright light source and can easily be seen by the sharp shadows. The easiest way to see hard light is to go outside on a cloudless day and hold your hand out in the direct sun. Now look down at the shadow of your hand on the ground. It will be sharp edged and the change between the bright and the dark will be extreme. It’s best to avoid hard light when shooting portraits. It creates deep shadows, makes small wrinkles look deeper, and emphasizes skin imperfections. This is the main reason it isn’t suggested that you use the built-in flash for portraits.

5.3 You can see the hard-edged shadows in this photo taken in the morning sun. Exposure: ...