How I Got the Shot Series: Volume 12
You Need Light, But Not Too Much
You can’t talk about photography without talking about light. It’s color, directionality, intensity, and quality. Once again, it’s all about the light.
And frequently, you need to deal with getting enough of it. High ISO, wide-open apertures, and slow shutter speeds are all about trying to get enough light to that tiny sensor inside your camera. But sometimes, you can have too much. Or at least the wrong quality.
If you have ever looked at a beautiful portrait and wondered how the photographer made that happen, it was the light. The light was diffused, directed, misdirected, bounced, blocked, and restricted. But the thing that gives the light that soft quality that envelops the subject’s face is diffusion. Whether through a softbox, an umbrella, or a diffuser panel, the light was diffused.
What this means in practical terms is that intense bright light from the strobes hit the diffusion material where it was softened and spread out, eliminating harsh shadows and highlights. Even if the shoot is being held outdoors, diffusers are used to soften the sunlight. That shot of a model on the…
