Sports Portraits: Tips and Techniques for Capturing Athletic Photographs

Soft and Hard Light

Light is often described as hard or soft, but what exactly is hard light? And how is it different from soft light? The easiest way to explain is with an example. Stand outside on a cloudless day and look at your shadow. Those hard edges mean hard light. A hard light creates a sharp shadow with very little transition between the light and the dark side.

Hard shadows are created by the sun, because it is a very small light source. I know the sun isn’t small, but you have to take distance into account, so the relative size of the sun is quite small. This creates a very hard light. Take that same light and add some clouds or a diffusion panel, and the light source is not a lot closer but is much larger, creating softer light. ...