When talking about the quality of light in photography we often use terms such as hard or direct light and soft or diffused light.
In the previous article on using light in photography we talked about looking at the highlight, mid-tone and shadow areas of various subjects.
Every good photo has a subject, and in a great photo the subject is what attracts the viewer immediately.
In some photos, the subject may be quite obvious … an expressive face, a colorful Autumn landscape, or some sort of dramatic news event.
And in others, the subject may be more subtle – a pensive mood, a mischievous glance, or perhaps just the feeling you experience while viewing something you like.
You may want to ask yourself what exactly am I trying to communicate about this subject. Is my subject a single object or person? Or is it many things combined so as to express a single idea?
Want to know more about apertures and f-stops, shutter speeds, understanding depth of field and how you can use them to take better pictures? In this section many of the digital photography terms you’ll encounter are explained in detail.