Lighting

Hard light comes from a small, bright source like the sun at noon or a phone flash. It makes sharp, dark shadows with hard edges. Soft light comes from a big source like a cloudy sky or a window with a curtain. It makes shadows fade out gradually, which is much kinder to faces.

Try it at home: Shine a phone light on your hand, then tape a sheet of tissue over it. The shadow softens instantly — that's soft light.

Front light (light behind you, shining on your subject's face) shows every detail but looks kind of flat, like a passport photo. Side light comes from the left or right and makes faces look 3D and a little mysterious. Back light is behind your friend and makes a glowing outline around their hair — great for separation and drama.

Try it at home: Ask someone to stand still, then walk a slow circle around them with a lamp and watch their face change shape.

Movie crews use three lights. The KEY light is the main one (brightest, off to one side). The FILL light is dimmer and sits on the other side to soften the dark part. The BACK light sits behind and separates the person from the wall so they don't look glued to it.

Try it at home: Use a desk lamp as the key, a white sheet of paper to bounce light back as the fill, and a phone flashlight behind for the back light.

The hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset is called golden hour. The sun is low, so light comes in sideways and turns warm orange. Everything looks softer and friendlier. Noon sun is straight overhead and drops harsh shadows under people's eyes.

Try it at home: Take the same photo of a tree at noon and again right before sunset. Compare them.