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The Top 10 Photography Lighting Facts You Should Know

And tips on how you can apply them to your photography.

• By Dan Richards on June 16, 2010

A broad light source

Photo: Dima_Rogozhin (fotolia.com)

1. The broader the light source, the softer the light. The narrower the source, the harder the light. A broad light source lessens shadows, reduces contrast, suppresses texture. A narrow light source does the opposite. This is because, with a broad source, light rays hit your subject from more directions, which tends to fill in shadows and give more even illumination to the scene.
Tip: Position a portrait subject near a large, bright window that does not receive direct sunlight. It makes for a no-cost softbox— no studio equipment necessary.

2. The closer the light source, the softer the light. The farther the source, the harder the light. This stands to reason: Move a light closer, and you make it bigger—that is, broader—in relation to your subject. Move it farther away, and you make it relatively smaller, and therefore more narrow. Think about the sun, which is something like 109 times the diameter of the earth—pretty broad! But, at 93 million miles away, it takes up a very small portion of the sky and hence casts very hard light when falling directly on a subject. Tip: When photographing people indoors by available light, move lamps closer to them or vice versa for more flattering light.

Diffusion scatters light Photo: Olga Lyubkina (fotolia.com) 3. Diffusion scatters light, essentially making the light source broader and therefore softer.When clouds drift in front of the sun, shadows get less distinct. Add fog, and the shadows disappear. Clouds, overcast skies, and fog act as diffusion—something that scatters the light in many directions. On overcast or foggy days, the entire sky, in effect, becomes a single very broad light source—nature’s softbox. Tip: Materials such as translucent plastic or white fabric can be used to diffuse a harsh light source. You can place a diffuser in front of an artiflcial light, such as a strobe. Or, if you're in bright sun, use a light tent or white scrim to soften the light falling on your subject.

More Tips Here!!

Gas Station Photography

Photographs by Jeff Brouws