Simple Soft Lighting

/

Hello readers. Back in 2018 I wrote a post called Simple Portrait Lighting which got decent attention, most recently in the form of a scam email accusing me of using an unlicensed image that could be rectified by including a link. I am grateful to a lawyer in the Netherlands who let me know that this was a scam. So in keeping with the concept that to get a concept across successfully often requires sending the message seven times seven ways, I wanted to expand things a bit and take portraits out of the equation and also take advantage of the advances in our cameras in the last six years.

What Is Soft Light

Light as we all should know by now has three primary characteristics, direction, colour and quality. What we call soft falls under quality and how we define this idea is the level of contrast on a transition line from light to shadow. If the transition is abrupt, we call that hard light and if it is subtle we call this soft. While neither is the only right way, soft light is what is used by preference in most scenarios.

How Do We Make a Light Source Soft

Soft light, conceptually is very easy. You make the source very large relative to the subject and bring it in very close. When I would photograph large groups outdoors in the past, it was common to use a large scrim between the group and the sun. The Sun was small (in appearance) and very far away. The scrim was set just out of frame and was quite large. It worked. It was also challenging to move and setup, prone to act like a sail and made people nervous.

When flash became sufficiently powerful to be used with light shapers and balance the Sun, soft light anywhere became more possible. Today, in 2024 as I write this, ANYONE can create simple soft lighting and that’s what we are going to discuss doing.

What You Need

To manage light you need to control the direction, the colour and the quality. So here’s your short and simple checklist.

  • A light shaper - and specifically for portability, low cost and wide usage I am going to recommend a silver interior umbrella, 30” in diameter but not so large it becomes a nuisance. Go smaller if your space is constrained.

  • A light stand with a sandbag to hold the light and the umbrella

  • A flash bracket / umbrella holder

  • An off camera flash of the speed light type of standard output, about 250 watt seconds.

  • A TTL flash controller to be mounted on the camera

Setting Up

  • You will place your flash as close to the subject as you can while keeping it out of frame.

  • You will place the flash to give you control of the direction of the light onto the subject.

  • You will set your flash to fire into the umbrella.

  • You will aim the umbrella by pointing the umbrella shaft at the most important element of the subject.

  • You will set your camera shutter speed at whatever your camera flash sync speed is. RTFM to find out if you do not know

  • You will set your aperture to provide sharp depth of field for your subject and no more. Depth of field is determined by distance to the subject, angle of view of the lens and the aperture. A tool like PhotoPills can help with this, but test exposures are more valuable because they build real world practice.

  • Set your ISO relatively low. ISO 400 or lower is going to deliver great results on any sensor made in the last decade.

  • Now take a test shot. If the light is too bright, use the power output control on the flash to reduce the flash duration (lower power). If the light is too dark, move the light closer to the subject. I advocate this manual method not because TTL flash doesn’t work well because in fact it is excellent, but by doing it manually you actually learn something.

  • Rinse and repeat until you get an exposure that you like. I recommend building your skill using static subjects that aren’t going to get bored, walk away, start crying, melt or otherwise dissolve into mush.

About Off Camera Flash

I specify off camera flash because it gives you directional control and because in most cases flat head on light looks like crap. The concept of getting the flash off camera does seem to generate fear, uncertainty and doubt, but it does not have to do so. With modern cameras and a simple and cheap radio system, you can do this.

If you do not have a flash, go to B&H Photo Video and order a Godox TT 685 II for your camera brand. This is a great flash and at $129 USD, a superb value and very reliable.

If you already own a flash, made for your camera that speaks your camera’s TTL language you will use it. If your flash does not speak TTL in your camera’s language buy the Godox flash noted in the prior paragraph.

Then you need a transmitter that mounts on the camera that talks to your flash. The Godox X3 series is about $90 and can control three separate flash channels. You only need one for simple soft light. You will buy the one made for your camera brand.

Practice

Now you will practice. Put the transmitter on the camera and pair it with the flash. This will involve reading a bit of the manual and should be very quick. All you want to prove at this point is that when you squeeze the shutter on your camera, is that the flash goes off once with each press.

As this is the most simple and basic function, you should be there in minutes.

Now get something to photograph. An apple, an orange, a figurine, a stuffed animal. Whatever suits you. Set up your light stand, with the flash and the umbrella as instructed above to provide the direction that you want. Put your camera on a tripod for now as part of your learning. You do not need to shoot from a tripod but keeping things simple while you build skill is easy.

Your work here is not just to get a decent exposure, but instead to see what happens when you try different light to subject distances and different light directions. Your camera has AWB so use it and then there is no need to worry about the light colour. You can shoot in JPEG if you wish, although I will ask why anyone would.

The more you shoot, the more the concepts will sink in. At some point you will have noticed that what the light meter has to say has not ever been considered. That is as it should be. By using your equipment in Manual, you actually learn something. Once you have accomplished Manual, you can switch everything to TTL Flash and adjust the exposure by using the flash or trigger’s flash exposure compensation adjustments. NEVER say I will fix things in post. Get it right in camera.

Wrapping Up

It is that simple. Basic gear, basic steps and you are set. This is photography, not snapshotting.

Some folks will ask why an umbrella instead of a soft box or para. Simple. Umbrellas are very forgiving. They set up quick, fold easily for transport and are easily aimed. You can use whatever light shaper you want, but for speed of building skill and keeping cost contained, nothing beats an umbrella.

Please become a member on Patreon to help support this channel. A big thanks to all the existing Patreon members! Send in comments or questions, I read and respond to all. If you shop with B&H Photo Video, please use the link on the main page as it pays me a small commission and does not cost you anything to do so. Thanks again and we will see each other again soon.