What are soft light and hard light in photography?

Soft light in photography generally refers to indirect light, such as cloudy days; Hard light refers to direct light, such as a scene in the sun.

It can also be distinguished from the performance effect: soft light has no obvious shadow, while strong light has obvious shadow.

Tip:

Soft light and hard light are just the difference between light. There is no rule that you must avoid strong light when taking pictures, and every kind of light can take ideal photos.