Harsh Light, Soft Light, and Shadows

Some people have an instinctive grasp of lighting and how all of the different elements of this vast subject come together, but most of us need a little help. Here are two statements to get the ball rolling:

1. The closer the light source is to the subject, the softer the shadows

2. The bigger the light source, the softer the shadows

The harshness or softness of the light depends on the size of the light source in relationship to the object being photographed.

I recommend testing these statements before going on, and to do so, I suggest doing a few exercises that may seem like simplistic and possibly even insulting suggestions to aid understanding, but please try the exercises and experiment with them. Try ...

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