diffuse, verb: to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.
To answer that question, you have to know what effect you want for your image. Do you want to see all the wrinkles in your grandmother's face, or do you want to smooth our her skin? To see the wrinkles you'd want harder light. To soften her skin, you'd want to diffuse it.
For the sake of this article, let's say you chose the smooth option. Soft light, diffused light, will allow you to make that happen. How do you do it? There are a few ways.
Let's say you're outside on a sunny day. Hold up a sheet between your subject and the sun. The light that comes through the sheet is what we call "diffused". The closer you hold it to your subject, the softer the light will be. The farther away you hold it, the harder the light will be.
Arm getting tired from holding that sheet? Nature has a solution that we call shade. Shade assists photographers in more ways than one. Not only does it provide you with beautifully diffused light, the surrounding objects nearby that are not in shade reflect light at your subject. Light modifiers like a reflector can also help you direct the existing light to your subject in any way you need.
Shade helps get good light naturally.
What does this mean for you?
If you're a photographer starting out, use your favorite search engine and research the better uses of light. The sun can be a powerful ally, you just have to know how to use it.
If you're a model or someone being photographed, make sure the photographer you're working with knows what they're doing. If you're being posed directly in the sun, ask them what effect they're going for. Ask to see some of their shots to verify a good result. It's okay to guide them back to where the more flattering light lives if you're not happy with where the shoot is going.
And who knows? Maybe you'll learn to like it better in the shade too.
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