Continuous – LED – Tungston
Flash – Bursts of light
Hard Light:
– Sun
– Gets defined shadows
– How close to the light source = how defined the shadows are
– Further from light = Harder Shadows
– Closer to light = Softer Shadows
Soft Light:
– Reflected
– Diffused
– Diffused or flat lighting = little to no shadows
Some objects reflect more light than others
Hard light gives textures where as Soft light doesn’t give much texture – less shadow
Angle to light defines/ flattens certain aspects – straight on soft light blurs out wrinkles
Diffused loses shadow detail
Shadow created depth
Think of colour, mood and vibrance when lighting:
Hard light tends to saturate BUT can cause Hot Spots
Think about angle to the subject:
Close light to subject = softer shadows
Further light to subject = hard shadows
Consider Fall Off Light – The Inverse Square Law
“Light falls off because of a thing called the inverse square law. What’s this mean for flash photographers? An object (like your background) that is twice the distance from a flash head will receive a quarter (1/4) of the illumination – or two stops less light. An object that is three times the distance receives one ninth (1/9) the illumination – or three stops less light. An object that is four times the distance receives one sixteenth (1/16) the illumination – or four stops less light, etc.” – https://photofocus.com/2009/06/04/understanding-light-falloff-the-inverse-square-law/
Lighting Ratios:
The difference between Highlight and Shadow areas in the image (in stops)
When working in a studio you may have many different light sources and the ratio relates to the differences from the main key light:
1:1 – Flat lighting
1:2 / 2:1 – 1 Stop difference
1:3 / 3:1 – 1 1/2 Stops different
1:4 / 4:1 – 2 Stops difference
1:8 / 8:1 – 3 Stops difference
Use reflectors to adjust your lighting ratio
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