• HARD LIGHT: a light source that is relatively small and far away (such as the sun) and creates harsh, sharp-edged shadows and reveals textures.
  
  
• SOFT LIGHT: a light source that is relatively large and close to the subject that creates soft edged shadow transitions and conceals textures.
  
  
• DIFFUSER: a translucent device such as a soft box or umbrella that spreads the light from a hard light to soften the light and reduce harsh shadows
  
  
• REFLECTOR: a device that is used to redirect light towards a given subject to fill in and lessen shadows
  
  
• MODIFIER: any kind of device used with light sources to alter the direction, quality, or color of photographic light

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