Article by- Apurv Jadhav

Lighting is one of the most important aspect of photography. It defines the image quality. Use of light in appropriate way can make a simple image look more dynamic. When it comes to macro photography soft light helps most of the times to make the image look fresh and beautiful.

To identify soft light one can, observe the edges of shadow of the subject, if the edge of shadow is significant, the light can be said to be hard light whereas if the edges of shadow are insignificant/smudged the light can be said to be soft.

Soft light can be obtained by introducing diffuser between the light and subject. Diffuser is anything that makes the light softer. Many things can be used as a diffuser starting from handkerchief, whitepaper, diffusion paper, butter paper, wrapping foam, foam plates and many other things. There are few diffusers available online as well.

Diffuser should not cut the light instead it must spread the light evenly across the subject. But it is not necessary to use soft light for every macro photo. One can use hard light creatively to get a specific effect to add a specific mood to an image.

Qualities that one should look for in a diffuser

– It should be lightweight.

– It should not be bulky.

– It should be durable.

– It should direct light in appropriate direction and area.

– It should not add any unwanted tone or tint to the image.

– It should spread and diffuse the light properly.

– It should be waterproof.

– It should be cheap.

– It should be easily available.

– It should not be a problem while approaching the subject.

– It should be easily repairable.