Here’s the shot I captured during the behind the scenes photos further up. It was golden hour on a cloudy day. The sun is just above the tree line behind her and I used a large reflector to bounce light back into her face (it was the white panel of my 5-in-1 reflector)

I’ve already mentioned using diffusion material for diffuse lighting and a diffusion panel is the same thing. Diffusion panels work by blocking direct light from landing on the subject and scattering it over a larger area to create a large, soft and even light source.

Just so you know, diffusion isn’t the only way to create soft light. The size and distance of your light source also affects the quality of the light. The larger and closer the light is to your subject the softer it’ll be.

Use any type of white translucent material to diffuse direct sunlight by placing the material between the subject and the light source. The larger the material, the more light will scatter and the softer the light will be.

Diffused lighting is for all portrait photographers, both natural light photographers and artificial light photographers (flash and constant lighting).

Simply position your subject facing a white wall with the sun behind them and let the light bounce off the surface to soften the light and reduce harsh shadows.

These requirements aim to protect nighttime air quality, astronomical observations, and the ecological environment of wildlife and plants.

While softboxes and umbrellas come with their own, bespoke diffusion panels, you can buy a huge variety of standalone diffusion panels for an additional layer of diffusion.

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Like with natural light, the key to creating a diffused light source with artificial lighting is to scatter the light. For studio portraits we do this with light modifiers attached to the light source or in front of the light source.

A more advanced way to use golden hour light is as a backlight behind your subject with a reflector in front of or to the side of your subject to bounce diffused light back into their face for a two light setup.

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I mentioned open shade light earlier and this is what I mean by shaded locations. My favorite type of open shade is under some kind of canopy.

A lot of the outdoor lighting used at night is inefficient, overly bright, poorly targeted, improperly shielded, and in many cases, completely unnecessary. Because it spills into the sky rather than being focused on the objects and areas that people need illuminated, this light and the electricity used to create it are being wasted.

Diffused lighting is ideal for portrait photography, because it reduces harsh shadows and highlights, for a more flattering image. So it’s especially ideal for less than perfectly smooth skin.

One of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to diffuse light in portrait photography is by using a white wall. It’s basically a giant reflector waiting for you to use it.

However, on a very cloudy day, the light can also be flat and dull. So, to add some dimension and depth to your photos, use a reflector or a fill flash to add some light to your subject’s face.

When you live in a metropolis or even a modest town, it may be rare to see more than a few hundred stars each night. A few hundred twinkles may seem good enough, until you’ve seen the rings of the Milky Way light up the zenith.’ (https://mild2wildrafting.com/rafting-blog/what-is-a-dark-sky-park-and-why-you-need-to-visit-one/)

Diffused light is light that’s been scattered (diffused), resulting in a softer and more even indirect light source, like when fitting a lampshade to a bare bulb.

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Place your subject to the side of a window for side lighting or in front of the window, facing towards the window for front lighting.

When creating diffused light we’re altering the quality of light from hard light to soft light by scattering the light over a larger area. Sometimes the light is already soft, but we want to make it even softer with diffused lighting techniques.

Everyone can create this type of lighting for photos that look like they were created in a professional photography studio!

Photographing outdoors in direct sunlight can be very unflattering for portraits, but we have a few easy ways to turn hard lighting into soft lighting.

I clearly remember the first time I used a big, white, sunlit wall to light a bride and groom on a bright sunny day. I swear I could hear a choir go aaAAA when I looked at the photo. The light was gorgeous!

Behind the scenes shots of me trying to photograph and use a reflector outdoors as the wind got stronger – it’s not always perfect, but whatever gets the job done! You can see the image I captured further down.

You then have a choice to set your camera’s exposure to expose their face correctly and possibly overexpose the background, or diffuse the sunlight with a diffuser or reflector.

Position your subject stand with their back to the sun and hold the reflector in front of or slightly to the side of your subject to bounce the sunlight onto your subject’s face for a softer, more even lighting effect. Ensure that you hold the reflector as close to your subject as possible without being in shot.

Darklighting in film

Here’s the quick answer for how to diffuse the glare of direct light, with much more detail further down in the tutorial.

When diffused light falls on a subject, it produces soft shadows that are less intense than shadows produced by direct light.

I used window light and a large sheet of white card to camera right to bounce light back into the shadows. Although you can’t tell from the image, each window pane has a semi-opaque mat plastic sheet stuck to it for privacy. The added advantage is that they’re great for diffusing natural light

I lit this portrait with my Profoto B1X strobe with large umbrella and diffusion panel. Keep on reading (or scroll) to see behind the scenes lighting setup of this studio image

Reflective umbrellas reflect light back from a flash facing away from the subject pointed into an umbrella, which then spreads the light out in a softer, more even way.

So, if you don’t know what it is or how to diffuse light, but you want to take better portraits, you definitely want to learn about diffused lighting!

1. Light pollution control: The requirement is to reduce light pollution and avoid excessive illumination, ensuring that the light only illuminates the necessary areas without leaking into the sky or other unlit areas.

“The International Dark-Sky Association recognizes and advocates for natural areas that protect true darkness. These parks ensure the protection of nocturnal species and allow scientists to carry out astronomical research. They’re also preserved for public enjoyment, because we all deserve a front row seat to the galaxy.

All types of light can be diffused – natural light, flash light, constant light and ambient light. You just need a way to modify the light, and it doesn’t have to be expensive or technical.

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2. Reflection reduction: The requirement is to minimize the reflection and scattering of light, avoiding excessive light pollution caused by light reflection in the atmosphere.

Window light is a great source of diffused natural light and an inexpensive way to create soft light for portrait photography indoors.

The best way to photograph in these lighting conditions is to turn your subject so that their back is to the light, and their face is in shadow.

So for less than $30 you can create the perfect light for portraits that acts just like a softbox in studio photography.

Shadow gap lighting detail

Diffused light is the most commonly used type of light in portrait photography. It’s so common that you might have used it without knowing what is diffused light in portrait photography. The power of diffused light is that it spreads light softly and evenly.

Softbox light modifiers are the favorite of most professional photographers for soft light, and in my opinion the best for creating diffused light with flash.

Shoot through umbrellas are white umbrellas that you point your flash into facing the subject for directional lighting. They provide a layer of diffusion between the flash and the subject to soften and scatter the light.

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Behind the scenes shot of how I lit the image at the top of this lighting tutorial. You can see how close the lighting was to the model to create soft light from my large umbrella with white interior and diffusion panel

For the ultimate soft light portraits, once your light source is in the right position, add diffusion for an even softer light that lights the subject more evenly.

My Profoto B1X strobe with large reflective umbrella with white interior. Without diffusion panel on the left and with diffusion panel on the right

4. Energy efficiency requirements: The requirement is for lighting products to have high energy efficiency, utilizing low-power LED fixtures or other energy-saving lighting technologies to reduce energy consumption.

Reflectors come in different shapes, sizes and colors. The bigger the reflector, the larger your light source will be relative to the subject and the softer the light will be on your subject.

The best times to photograph with diffused light are early in the morning and late in the afternoon, also known as the golden hour in photography. The golden hour is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset.

3. For direct lighting, it also depends on the color of the luminaire. The darker the color of the luminaire, the better it absorbs light and can meet the dark sky standards. Light-colored luminaires, such as gray, may not pass the requirement as they reflect too much light.

The type of reflector you use is very important as a textured surface (white) reflects soft light, while a shiny surface (silver or gold) reflects hard light. Plus, the color of the reflector impacts the color of reflected light.

Diffused lighting produces soft light with soft shadows that are ideal for portrait photography. It smoothes out skin texture and creates a gentle mood, while adding depth and dimension to portraits.

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On a cloudy day, light is naturally diffused by the cloud cover. So cloudy day photography is the best kind of light for portrait photography for flattering light without harsh shadows.

There are many inexpensive ways to diffuse light in portrait photography by using shade, a white wall, white fabric, sheer material, or diffusion paper.

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Golden hour light is naturally diffused and has a warm color temperature suited to portrait photography. Plus, the sun is low in the sky ideally positioned at a flattering angle for lighting portraits.

3. Dark sky protection: The requirement is to minimize upward lighting, directing the light predominantly in the horizontal direction and avoiding excessive light projection towards the sky.

The inner lining of reflective umbrellas can be white, silver or gold. White is the best to use for soft, diffused light. You can also add a diffusion panel to the front of the umbrella to diffuse the light further. In this instance it works much like a softbox.

The smallest are handheld diffusion panels that come as one of the layers of a five-in-one reflector. The largest, called scrims, are giant diffusion panels fitted to metal frames and can be several meters high and wide.

Umbrellas are a popular light modifier for portrait photography, especially with beginners as they’re cheap and easy to set up. They come in different sizes and materials and can be used with:

Photographing on a sunny day, in direct sunlight creates harsh shadows and bright highlights on your subject’s face, which can be unflattering in portrait photography.

Softboxes come in a variety of sizes and shapes and can be fitted with two layers of diffusion for extra soft light. They’re also used for directional lighting, but the light is easier to control than umbrella light.

Top tip for cloudy days – even though it’s not easy to see, make sure you’re aware of the direction of light so that you can position your subject for the best light.

First, you need to understand what is diffused light in photography and what makes it a great portrait lighting technique.