Sony HVL-LE1 - Manual (Page 6)

Using Artifical Light
~3m
~11m
built-in flash
HVL-F43AM
HVL-F60AM
~15m
Illumination range
85mm ISO100 Aperture F4
Hard vs. Soft
Hard light produces stark shadows and bright highlights. You will typically see
hard light in your photographs when your main light source falls directly on your
subject. A cloudless, midday sun produces hard light, as would a light-bulb or
direct flash from a camera.
Soft light smooths hard lines and edges, reveals more shadow detail and
produces softer highlights. You will typically see soft light in your photographs
when your main light source is close to your subject, reflected off another
surface or diffused. Sun hitting clouds first before hitting the subject, light from
multiple sources and directions, light from a very large light source close to
the subject or light passed through a diffuser are all examples of soft light.
Light Coverage
When using artificial light, you can control the amount of hard vs. soft light you
want on your subject. If you move the subject further away, the light source
becomes proportionally smaller, casting a harder light. If you move the subject
closer, the light source becomes proportionally larger, casting a softer light.
Using a larger light source and diffusers have the same effect as moving your
subject closer as the light source becomes proportionately larger. Conversely,
using a smaller light source will have the same effect as moving your subject
away from the light source.
Diffused Light
Light that has been scattered by first hitting a translucent property before
hitting our subject is called “diffused light”. Diffused light creates a soft light,
which is more even, with softer shadows.
Diffusers can be anything from a window, white sheet, clouds or even an
actual diffuser, which is commonly used in photography.
Guide Number (GN)
Every flash system has a guide number, or GN. It is used to measure the system’s
ability to illuminate the subject to be photographed. It’s good to know the GN when
deciding to buy a flash and how best to use it. The GN represents the output of
illumination that is metered at a distance of 1 meter (3 feet) from the subject at ISO
100. The larger the GN, the larger the amount of illumination the flash produces.
understanding artificial light
The optimum aperture setting can be determined as:
(f-stop) = GN/(Illumination range between subject and flash in meters).
The optimum illumination range can be calculated as:
Illumination range (m) = GN/(f-stop)
For example, when the GN is 60 and the aperture is F4, the illumination
range = 60/F4 = 15m (Approx.)
HVL-F60M
10 11
light
light
subject
subject