Intermediate Photography Lesson 5 Quiz | Test Your Knowledge

Open shade, such as the shadow of a building or tree with open sky above, lights the subject with soft, even skylight instead of direct overhead sun. That removes the dark shadows under the eyes and nose. Raising exposure compensation only brightens everything, harsh shadows included.

Direction determines where shadows fall and what shapes are revealed; quality describes whether shadow edges are hard or soft; color temperature adds warmth or coolness; intensity affects whether the scene is rendered with low or high contrast. Understanding all four allows a photographer to work with or modify any light source.

When the sun is low, its light passes through much more atmosphere, which scatters away blue light and leaves warmer tones. The low angle lights faces from the side or front instead of from above, avoiding dark eye sockets, and the weaker light gives gentler contrast. The sun itself does not change.

A white reflector on the shadow side catches window light and bounces it back onto the dark half of the face, lowering contrast while keeping the light's direction. Overhead room lights add a different color and a top-down angle. Raising ISO brightens both sides equally, so the contrast stays.

Hardness depends on how big the light source is relative to the subject. A small source, such as bare sun or a bare flash, casts crisp-edged shadows; a large source, such as an overcast sky or a big softbox, wraps around the subject and gives gradual shadow edges. Brightness and color have nothing to do with it.

Hard overhead sun makes deep, crisp shadows and bright highlights. Instead of fighting it, you can use that contrast: place the subject against the bright sky for a silhouette, or make strong shadows, patterns and shapes part of the composition. A slow shutter speed does not soften shadows.

Blue hour comes just after sunset and before sunrise, when the sun is below the horizon and the sky is the only light. That light is cool, blue and very even, with almost no shadows or contrast, and artificial lights glow warm against it.

Softness depends on how large the light source is from the subject's point of view. Close to a window, the window is large relative to the face, so light wraps around and shadows are gradual. Farther away, the same window acts as a smaller source, giving harder shadow edges and more contrast.

Light-colored surfaces such as walls, sidewalks and sand reflect a lot of sunlight. Placing a subject near them lets that bounced light fill the shadows on the face, the same job a handheld reflector does. The surface's color tints the light, so neutral surfaces work best.

The light keeps changing after the golden glow fades. The sky often turns pink and then blue, and blue hour gives soft, even light that can suit a landscape well. Shooting through this period often produces very different, worthwhile images. A warm white balance preset cannot recreate low, directional sun.