Harsh or Hard?

When I first started in photography I learned that shadows were bad.  People always talked about "filling in shadows" and "watch the harsh shadows".  Shadows are bad they'd say.  So I spent several months avoiding shadows like the plague.  That was a mistake--shadows are great.  You need to learn to understand and control your shadows to create the specific looks you want.  One of the biggest misconceptions I was lead to believe is this term "harsh" to describe shadows that are "hard".  This term, "harsh", has a negative slant to it and I believe is the wrong word to use when describing a shadow that is indeed hard. That term most certainly dissuaded me from using hard shadows and I consequently spent much time agonizing over whether my shadows were soft enough.

Just what is a hard shadow?  Well, if you are accustomed to using a point & shoot camera with an dinky little on-camera flash you will have no doubt seen hard shadows.  These are shadows which have a clear and defined edge.  That is the transition between the diffused highlight (the properly exposed portion) and the shadow is abrupt and well defined.  The light that creates this type of shadow is often called "harsh" and more often than not used to negatively describe the light quality.  Too many photographers are afraid of hard light, usually characterized by a relatively small light source. Generally hard light is unflattering, but when you use it effectively the images can be fantastic.

The image above is an example of hard light or hard shadow, which ever you prefer.  I purposely chose this style of lighting to bring out her skin and create a matching contrast between the shadows and her black shirt with the lightness of her skin.  The two work to help bring attention to her skin and hair.  I have attached the lighting setup for this particular shot below.  Learn to use your shadows for effect and if you intentionally use a hard light source and some one tells you to "fill in your shadows" or "you should have used a more diffuse light source" you can now stand proud knowing that you chose to use a hard shadow on purpose an it isn't necessarily a bad thing.  And it certainly isn't "harsh" as the word would imply.