Lighting is a fundamental aspect of photography, and understanding how to manipulate it can dramatically improve your portraits.
Coming to you from Mark Wallace, this detailed video explores the qualities of light and the concept of effective light size. Wallace explains that hard light creates sharp, well-defined shadows, while soft light produces shadows with softer edges. The sun, when shining brightly in a clear sky, is a perfect example of hard light, casting deep and sharp shadows. However, when the sky is overcast, the light becomes diffused, spreading out and creating soft shadows.
Wallace then dives into the concept of effective size. He demonstrates that a light source's apparent size, which is influenced by its distance from the subject, determines whether it produces hard or soft light. Moving a light source closer to the subject increases its effective size, resulting in softer light. Conversely, moving it farther away decreases its effective size, resulting in harder light. For example, even though the sun is enormous, its effective size is small due to its distance from the Earth, producing hard light. Using modifiers like octaboxes can help change the effective size of your light source to achieve the desired lighting effect.
To illustrate, Wallace sets up two octaboxes of different sizes. He positions a small octabox close to his model to show how it creates high-contrast light with some soft wraparound effects. He then replaces it with a much larger octabox, which produces softer light with even better wraparound on the subject, enhancing the softness and reducing harsh shadows.
Wallace also emphasizes the importance of positioning your light source correctly. By placing the large octabox in front and slightly tilting it, he achieves a beautiful, soft light. This setup creates a high-contrast yet soft and pleasing look, ideal for portrait photography. He highlights how using a long lens helps keep the octabox out of the frame while maintaining the soft light effect. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Wallace.
If you would like to continue learning about how to light a portrait, be sure to check out "Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!"
