The Quality of Light

The use of natural or artificial light enhances the subject and contributes to the storytelling capabilities of the image. Photographers prefer to make outdoor pictures early in the morning or late in afternoon to take advantage of the setting or rising sun’s shadows, highlights and warm light.

Light coming from a compact point such as light bulb or the sun is said to have a very hard quality, The shadows created by this type of light are dark and have well-defined edges.

Light coming from a large source such as sunlight that has been diffused by clouds or a light that has been reflected off a large bright surface is said to have a very soft quality. The shadows are less dark (detail can be seen in them) and the edges are not clearly defined.

The smaller the light source, the harder the light appears. The larger the light source, the softer the light appears.