Look through assorted photographic websites and find some examples of subjects lit by hard light and examples of subjects lit by soft light. Describe the effect the light has on the subject’ texture, form and detail, and the overall mood of the picture.
Hard lighting brings out the defined texture of the subject, for example in Martin Kenny's photo of the cat where the fur of the cat is in high detail. The hard light falls on the subject and immediately falls off as a shadow, which creates more contrast so the subjects pop against their backgrounds, and gives them even more of the focus. The shadows cast give the pictures dramatic and splashy moods, like in both photos below.
 |
| Photo by Martin Kenny |
 |
| Photo by Helen Cat |
Soft lighting is just the opposite of hard lighting. Unlike hard light, soft light does not show texture very much, which is why it tends to be used for portrait photography, so that imperfections of the skin do not show as clearly. Because soft light has a wide gray zone and the light itself is more spread out, the photo is smooth and less dramatic. The moods of photos with soft light, like the ones below, are usually more relaxed and peaceful, and the photographs are usually more soothing to look at.
 |
| Photo by kasxox (user on flickr) |
 |
| Photo by lymond (user on flickr) |
No comments:
Post a Comment