# Hard vs. Soft Light



## photoexpertguy (Oct 19, 2009)

What do you prefer? 

Check out this article to learn more about quality of light and how this photo was created.







PEG - The Photo Expert Guy


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## Torus34 (Oct 19, 2009)

To answer your question: it depends upon the subject and my visualization of the finished print.


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## newrmdmike (Oct 19, 2009)

i prefer not so processed HDR. and what article are you talking about?
below are 2 links, hard and soft light of the same subject, to illustrate the ability to change your subjects appearance with light that i think everyone will enjoy. :lmao:
soft light
hard light


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## KmH (Oct 19, 2009)

Hum, don't see any HDR here, just hard, direct light from at least a couple of lights.

It looks like there's one light just out of the bottom of the frame set to it's widest beam and pointing up at about a 45 degree angle, lighting him and making the hard shadow on the wall behind him. There is a second one behind him lighting the lower part of the door.

It looks like there's been some boost to local contrast done in post processing but no tone mapping.


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## newrmdmike (Oct 20, 2009)

hmmm bad call on my part then, i associate that contrast with what most people end up tone mapping their images to.


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## newrmdmike (Oct 20, 2009)

i checked out the the link and like the site!


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## GeneralBenson (Oct 20, 2009)

Way to join the the forum and with your post post, promote your blog.  Welcome to the board...  I think that photo looks like Gollum is couching behind him.


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## Cpt.Beyond (Aug 27, 2010)

Wheres the other one?


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## clanthar (Aug 27, 2010)

newrmdmike said:


> hmmm bad call on my part then, i associate that contrast with what most people end up tone mapping their images to.



newrmdmike: not a bad call -- you got it. This photo has been tone mapped in a manner typical of HDR methods. In this case Photoshop's Shadow/Highlight adjustment was used to produce that signature effect of midtone posterization.

Joe


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