Hard and Soft Lighting

How smooth the transition is between a photo's highlights and shadows determines if you have hard or soft lighting. If shadows are very sharp, it is hard lighting. If the shadows are more of a gradient and blurry, then it is soft lighting.

Any light can be hard or soft. Softer shadows are caused by a light's ability to bend around the object being photographed which depends on three things:

• The size of the light source - The bigger the light, the softer the shadows because it is easier for the light to bend around the object
• The size of the object being photographed - The bigger the object being photographed in relation to the size of the light, the sharper the image since the angle that the light hits the object does not bend
• The distance of the object from the light source - If the light is farther away, it becomes smaller in relation to the object, so you loss softness even though the light will not be as powerful

Hard lighting has more contrast and is used for a more dramatic or edgy effect. It can also point out skin imperfections more easily like wrinkles. Soft light is more flattering so more often used for portraits.