How to use strong light and soft light illumination in photography?

Before setting the lighting for studio photography, the first step is to determine which light source arrangement will produce the ideal effect. Will light belong to hard light category or soft light category? What's the difference between them?

Let's take a look at their main characteristics and their feelings when shooting the same subject.

First of all, the glare of photography in the studio

Usually, strong light refers to a single light source pointing at a certain distance, such as the sun on a sunny day or a flashlight at night.

This harsh light source will produce high contrast, and the transition between highlights and shadows is very clear and obvious.

In some cases, this contrast seems too strong.

Second, the soft light in the studio photography

On the other hand, soft light sources are larger, wider and relatively close to objects. This may be an example of a soft light source when stray light is reflected from a large concrete wall in cloudy or cloudy weather.

Where the contrast is high, the light tends to be pleasant, the highlights have more details, and the shadow edges are soft.

This is usually a better light source, but not necessarily a single light source.

Many factors will affect the quality and type selection of lighting equipment. Production designers or customers can create photos according to the spirit of the existing style, thus determining the direction. They may ask to reproduce natural lighting conditions.

The subject itself will also have a great influence on the light you choose. Objects with high reflectivity or high contrast can be very challenging for photographers when trying to illuminate with hard light sources. You can explain your mood or mood by choosing appropriate lighting. Careful selection of lighting scheme and combination of soft and hard light sources will help you to obtain ideal results.

Third, how to install strong light?

To create a hard studio lighting setting, place the key light source on the left, slightly behind the main body. The initial beam may be too wide, so you can add a 35-degree grid to the modifier to focus it.

For this setting, it is necessary to finally adjust the height and position of the main light to change the angle and length of the shadow on the table and floor. Place a 4'x8' black polystyrene foam board (foam board) on the left side of this position to deepen the shadow and eliminate unnecessary reflection. Two smaller white polystyrene foam boards (foam boards) are installed on the lower part of the front and the left and right sides respectively to preserve the details of the front edge and legs of the table.

Fourth, how to install the soft light?

To create a soft lighting scheme, put the main light in the same position, but use a 4'x4' diffuser between the light and the object. Remove the net on the key lamp to amplify the light beam, and replace the black cardboard with white to fill and display the shadow. Push the background light back, remove the grid, but add a diffuser to cover the whole background softly, so that the whole position can be bright and soft, and more light can fill the image.

Five, how to turn strong light into soft light?

Sometimes, you plan to use strong light, and then you want to use soft light. In this case, Jane can diffuse hard light by placing a diffusing material between the light source and the object to create soft light, so that the angle and gradient of light can be controlled. You can also simply install a soft box to soften or even increase the light. You can also use reflectors, umbrellas or any other lights that can soften the light and reduce the orientation.

Six, the combination of strong light and soft light

No matter how many years of experience, the last skill of studio photography is to set the lighting settings flexibly. You may know the final appearance of the photo, but you will find that the position of the subject looks different under different lighting conditions, so be prepared to try, because the combination of hard light and soft light can usually make the product reach the best state.

After fully understanding the sources of soft light source and hard light source, we can combine the two technologies. For example, there should be edge lighting in a certain position to make the image have atmosphere or size, or to add emphasis to some elements in the picture. Mastering two types of light sources can completely control the lighting and create the final photo.