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Originally Posted by Joan Breckwoldt
I am still very much interested in hearing more opinions on just how delineated/sharp the line should be where the shadow meets the light.
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There's no "should" involved, any more than you'd ask, what "should" I include for props, or how "should" I pose my subject. You make those choices so that the result will be in service to the overall effect that you're trying to achieve.
Middle value transitions between shadow and light value shapes are wonderful areas where amazing things happen, for it is in those locations that color is often most richly revealed and used to its best purpose, since it is neither washed out by the brighter lights nor dulled by shadow. Cultivate that opportunity and exploit it, rather than looking for ways to minimize such transition areas.
Yes, mood is a consideration, as is the physical quality of the subject. That craggy cowhand's face can easily manage a sharp-edged shadow cast by a hat brim, and we will see every wrinkle and fold and whisker. Bringing that kind of focus to bear on that sort of detail in, say, a young woman's face will only seem harsh and unflattering in most cases. On the other hand, if your intent is to convey a sense of brilliant strong lighting, the sharper definitions are probably in order. (I'll try to find some examples to add later, as I have some in mind.)
Remember that a hard edge, a sharply defined boundary of a value area, attracts the viewer's attention to that area (or in certain applications, creates depth, which itself is an attention gathering device). You are in control of whether or not that happens.
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