What are the organizational forms of light and shadow?

The classification of light in photography is divided into direct light, scattered light and reflected light according to the quality of light.

1, direct light

Direct light, also known as hard light, refers to the light directly projected on the camera. Direct sunlight is the strongest light in nature. Direct light energy makes the subject produce obvious projection and light and dark side, with strong contrast between light and dark, which can show uneven texture. Direct light has high intensity and hard quality. The stronger the light, the heavier the shadow.

The picture taken by direct light, like its name "hard light", gives people a tough feeling, but it has a strong sense of three-dimensional and modeling. Direct light is a kind of light that there is almost no other medium between the object and the light source when the light shines on the surface of the object.

Direct light not only exists in nature, but also can be produced by artificially arranged point light sources. It can also make the subject produce obvious shadows and form a strong contrast between light and shade.

As mentioned above, although this kind of direct light is not suitable for expressing women's femininity, it still has its advantages in order to express special artistic effects. For example, using tough light to show a man's fortitude.

2. Scattered light

Scattered light, also known as soft light, is the light that shines on an object after being scattered by clouds, fog, soft masks and other media. On cloudy days, sunlight is blocked by clouds in the sky, so it can't directly hit the object, so there is no obvious light receiving surface and shadow surface, and there is no obvious projection and directionality, and the light effect is relatively flat and soft. This light is scattered light.

As far as lighting is concerned, if a device that can scatter light is attached to the lamp, the light emitted is diffused light. This soft scattered light can be arranged in indoor photography, and is often used to shoot women, showing their feminine and delicate side.

In the outdoor scattered light environment, the light does not have strong directionality, and there is almost no strong shadow in the picture, which can give people a natural and soft visual experience with high color saturation. It helps to beautify people's skin and show bright colors. When used in portrait photography, it is very suitable for representing children and women.

3. Reflected light

If the light of the subject or scene is not directly projected by the light source, but reflected by nearby objects, we call it reflected light. In addition to the influence of the light source itself, the effect of reflected light mainly depends on the material of the reflection area. The rougher the surface, the closer the effect of reflected light source is to scattered light. On the contrary, the smoother and brighter the reflecting surface, the closer the effect of reflecting light source is to direct light.

In addition, the color of the reflection area will also change the color expression of the light source, indirectly affecting the original color of the object or shooting the scene. Common reflected light includes water surface reflected light, artificial reflected light made by reflector, and reflected light from objects such as mirrors. In landscape photography, the water surface can often create the effect of reflecting light, so that the scenery presents a beautiful reflection through the reflection of water.

In addition to nature itself can produce some reflected light, reflector has become a special tool to produce reflected light. The reflected light generated by the reflector is usually used as the auxiliary light for shooting.