Hi Alan,
What a pleasure it has been to see you progress as a photographer and an artist. Your images just continue to impress me.
By now you don’t need me to show your the EXIF data for your images and I’m sure you know what settings you used…
You have most certainly illustrated that you understand the difference here and you’ve done it using artificial light sources. This is excellent. Notice just how different the same subject can be with these two different styles! Amazing right?
Obviously the goal here is not to just understand the difference but to understand your lighting environment and decide if how to shoot in that environment. In certain situations harsh light can work well, for example in sports. Whereas if you’re shooting portraits, not so much! If that’s the case you can always modify the light and work around it.
Whatever the case it’s critical that not only are you aware of what the light is doing but how to make the most of it.
I can see from your two images here that you understand the concept, now you just need to put it into practice with your images.
I also like that you’re experimenting with controlling strobes and doing different things with light. Experimentation is key to learning. Always play around!
Do you have any questions about any of this?