How different qualities of light are created and why they matter
In some of the workshops I have taught recently, I have talked about how different light can be in terms of hardness depending on the lighting system we use.
But what exactly is light hardness?
We could define it as how sharply defined the shadow produced by a light source is. A very hard light produces a clearly defined shadow, while a soft light produces a much less defined one.
We can also describe shadows in terms of depth. The deeper the shadow, the darker it appears.
We could go further into theory and definitions, but let’s move on to the practical side, which is what really matters here.
I photographed the same composition using different lighting systems and modifiers so that the results could be compared directly.
The setup was as follows: 50 cm from the mannequin to the background, 1 metre from the mannequin to the camera, and the light source positioned 1 metre from the mannequin at a 45º angle.
Camera settings were: 1/125 s, f/6.3 and ISO 100.
The two light sources used were a speedlight and a studio flash head:
| Descripción | Accesorio | Resultado |
| Studio flash head + softbox with grid |  |  |
| Studio flash head + softbox |  |  |
| Studio flash head + softbox without diffusion fabric |  |  |
| Studio flash head + translucent umbrella without reflector |  |  |
| Studio flash head + translucent umbrella + 90º reflector |  |  |
| Studio flash head + reflective umbrella + 90º reflector |  |  |
| Studio flash head + reflective umbrella without reflector | |  |
| Studio flash head | No modifier |  |
| Studio flash head + 90º reflector | |  |
| Studio flash head + beauty dish |  |  |
| Studio flash head + snoot with honeycomb grid |  |  |
| Studio flash head + honeycomb grid |  |  |
| Studio flash head + honeycomb grid + translucent sheet | |  |
| Speedlight | |  |
| Speedlight + umbrella | |  |
| Speedlight + plastic diffuser |  |  |
| Speedlight + collapsible plastic softbox |  |  |
| Speedlight + collapsible softbox with reflector | |  |
The differences produced by the various modifiers are easy to see.
The important part is learning to choose the right type of light for each situation, depending on the result we want and the equipment we have available.
See you soon!
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