Which of the following is true?

• A. the bigger the source, relative to the size of the subject, the softer the light
• B. the smaller the source, relative to the size of the subject, the harder the light
• C. Both A and B
• D. Neither A nor B

Answer: (C)

The soft or hard quality of light comes from how large the light source appears relative to the subject. When the source looks big to the subject, light rays arrive from many directions, washing out shadows and creating a gentle transition from light to dark—soft light. When the source looks small, light is more directional, producing sharp shadows and higher contrast—hard light. Because these statements describe the same relationship from opposite ends, both are true: a bigger source relative to the subject yields softer light, and a smaller source relative to the subject yields harder light. In practice, use a large diffuser or softbox (or bounce off a large surface) to get soft light, and a small, direct light (or a bare bulb/point source) to get hard light, keeping in mind that distance can also affect apparent size and thus softness or hardness.