Hard vs. Soft Light

[photoexpertguy]

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

 

[Torus34]

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

 

[newrmdmike]

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

 

[KmH]

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.

 

[newrmdmike]

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

 

[newrmdmike]

i checked out the the link and like the site!

 

[GeneralBenson]

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.

 

[Cpt.Beyond]

Wheres the other one?

 

[clanthar]

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