Read This If You Want to Take Great Photographs

Hard light

Hard light creates contrast

For other examples:

Lars Tunbjörk p. 24

Philip-Lorca diCorcia p. 91

René Burri p. 93

Hard light comes from one direction and is typical of a spotlight or bright sunshine. Due to its intensity, one of the most common traits of hard light is high contrast.

Trent Parke is a photographer who uses this kind of light to transform urban landscapes into something less familiar. Here the hard light cuts through the city forming an island of light where a couple stand seemingly marooned. But they’re not without their supplies. Accompanying them

in the highlights is everything they need, from a place to stay and somewhere to eat in the form of a motel and a fast food restaurant.

Hard light causes anything in its path ...