What Is Diffusion and How Can You Use It to Improve Your Photos?

When it comes to lighting, perhaps the most fundamental parameter every photographer has to gain a mastery of is controlling the softness or hardness of the light. There are several ways to go about this, with one of them being diffusion. This excellent video tutorial will show you what diffusion does and how to use it to take a higher level of control over your lighting and images. 

Coming to you from John Gress, this helpful video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of diffusion and how to use it in your own images. You probably know that larger light sources (whether made larger in absolute size or by moving them closer to the subject) produce softer light, but diffusion takes this a step further. A lot of the time when using a large modifier, your light may not fully fill the modifier, meaning you might not actually get the full softness out of it. Diffusion can remedy this issue by helping the light to scatter more evenly, eliminating hot spots and producing a softer effect. You can even use it with natural light; I will often use the diffusion panel in my 5-in-1 reflector if I have to shoot a portrait near midday. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Gress. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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Good also for some leather furniture, grand father clocks shot for silo and some room scenes situations.

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The video illustrates the difference between a photographer that simply utilizes modifiers and a better one that creates his or her own light.