One way of controlling the quantity of light reaching the subject is to move the light away from the subject. What is another result of this?

• A. The quality of the light becomes harder and the angle of the light changes
• B. The color temperature increases
• C. The exposure increases
• D. The contrast reduces

Answer: (A)

Increasing distance from the subject reduces the light’s quantity, and it also makes the light source appear smaller to the subject. That smaller apparent size creates sharper shadows, so the light becomes harder. The change in distance also alters the geometry of how the light hits the subject, changing the angle of incidence. Color temperature stays the same unless you change the lamp, exposure generally decreases unless you compensate, and contrast tends to increase with harder light rather than reduce. So the key result is that the light becomes harder and the angle of the light changes.