Softness/hardness of Various Light Sources
Most light sources have a non-negligible size and therefore exhibit the properties of a soft light to some degree. Even the sun does not cast perfectly hard shadows.
In "hard" light sources, the parallelism of the rays is an important factor in determining shadow behaviour.
The quality of light can be altered by using diffusion gel or aiming a lighting instrument at diffusing material such as a silk. When shooting outdoors, cloud cover provides nature's version of a softbox.
Read more about this topic: Soft Light
Famous quotes containing the words softness, hardness, light and/or sources:
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—Mary Wollstonecraft (1759–1797)
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—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)
“Loosened from the minor’s tether;
Free to mortgage or to sell,
Wild as wind, and light as feather
Bid the slaves of thrift farewell.”
—Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
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—Harriot K. Hunt (1805–1875)