Video 101

Lighting

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Lighting Lesson
Introduction
Light Characteristics
Instruments
Light Control
3-light Setup
Common Problems

The first step to understanding lighting is recognizing that light has many different characteristics--which can be manipulated to create a desired effect. I'll detail three important characteristics of light--starting with hard vs soft.

HARD VS SOFT:
"Hard light" comes form a single point source and thus produces sharp or "hard" shadows. On a sunny day, the sun produces very hard light. So does a slide projector or a flashlight. Conversely, "soft light" comes from a large diffuse source. As a result, shadows are less defined--or perhaps not even visible at all. The fluorescent lights in most any classroom produce soft light. So do the clouds on a cloudy day.

The left image illustrates hard light. How can you tell? Look at the shadows. Notice the distinct, sharp-edged shadow her hand casts on her shoulder. And check out the shadow of her nose on her cheek. The right image illustrates soft light. The shadows are pretty much nonexistent.