The five things light does
Every photograph is a record of light, so most lighting decisions come down to a handful of variables. It helps to think of them as questions you can ask about any scene:
- Quality: is the light hard or soft?
- Direction: where is it coming from relative to the subject and the camera?
- Colour: is it warm, cool or tinted?
- Contrast: how far apart are the brightest and darkest areas?
- Amount: is there enough of it for the exposure you want?
You do not need to master all five at once. Learning to notice them is the first skill, and controlling them follows from that.
Quality: hard and soft light
Quality describes how the edge between light and shadow looks. Hard light gives crisp, well-defined shadows. Soft light gives gradual transitions that wrap around the subject.
The main factor is the apparent size of the light source relative to the subject. A small source, such as the midday sun or a bare flash, tends to give hard light. A large source, such as an overcast sky, a window or a big softbox, tends to give soft light. Moving a light closer to the subject makes it relatively larger and therefore softer. Moving it farther away makes it relatively smaller and harder.
For a closer look at the hard end of the scale, see direct lighting in photography.
Direction: front, side, back and top
Direction changes how much shape and texture you see.
- Front light comes from behind the camera. It tends to reduce shadows and can look flat, though it is easy to expose.
- Side light reveals form and texture, which is why it is often used for drama or for subjects with surface detail.
- Backlight comes from behind the subject. It can create glowing edges or silhouettes, and usually needs some fill or exposure compensation to keep the front of the subject visible.
- Top light comes from above and can create deep shadows in the eye sockets and under the nose when used on faces.
Height matters too. A light slightly above eye level resembles sunlight or window light and is generally considered natural-looking for portraits.
Colour of light
Light sources differ in colour, usually described as colour temperature. Candlelight and tungsten bulbs look warm and orange, while open shade or an overcast sky looks cooler and bluer. Your camera’s white balance setting compensates for this, but you can also use colour deliberately for mood. Our guide to colour lighting in photography goes deeper on white balance, mixed light and gels.
Contrast and ratios
Contrast is the difference in brightness between highlights and shadows. It is shaped by how hard the light is, and by how much light reaches the shadow side. Adding light to the shadows, known as fill, reduces contrast. You can read more in fill lighting in photography and contrast lighting in photography.
Natural and artificial sources
Natural light, from the sun, sky or a window, is free and convenient but changes constantly. Artificial light, such as flash or continuous LEDs, lets you decide the position, power and consistency. Neither is better in every case. Many photographers learn on a window and a reflector (see natural light for portrait photography) and add artificial light later.
For a breakdown of all the ways photographers categorise light, see photography lighting types explained.
Portrait patterns in brief
Portrait photographers (see our portrait lighting guide) often name the shadow shapes created by moving a light around a face: loop, Rembrandt, split and butterfly are the common ones. Each is just a different light position. Flattering beauty looks often use clamshell lighting, which combines a light above with fill from below. If you would rather see positions drawn out, our lighting setup diagrams show where to place the light and camera.
A simple way to practise
You can learn most of this with one window and one household object.
- Place a subject, such as a friend or a piece of fruit, near a window.
- Photograph it with the window to the side, then in front, then behind.
- Hold a white card or sheet on the shadow side and compare.
- Try the same scene at a different time of day.
- Look at how the shadows, colour and contrast change each time.
Common questions
What are some basic tips for taking good photographs?
Pay attention to the light before anything else, move the subject or yourself to change the lighting, use soft light for flattering portraits, watch the background, and review your images critically. These are general suggestions rather than fixed rules.
How do I get good lighting in a room for pictures?
Position your subject near a large window, turn off mixed artificial lights if they clash in colour, and use a white reflector or wall to lift the shadows. More ideas are in lighting for photography at home. Avoid placing the subject directly in harsh sunbeams unless you want that look.