Snoot design

[Nwcid]

When looking at snoots online I see most of them taper down and end in a grid.

I understand the idea of a snoot is to direct light to a specific place.

My question is why do snoots not seem to be adjustable, or are they and I am just missing those ones? For example I want to light an area at a distance, but not have light spill near the flash, so would a straight tube be as effective? Are there times when you would want a cone that tapers out making a bit wider pattern?

So far I have used rolled up construction paper that did not taper, just straight tube. They did what I needed them too, but I started looking for a more durable solution so I am just trying to understand better.

 

[smoke665]

To my knowledge I'm not aware of any adjustable snoots. Even with the grid, the circle of illumination is dependent on the distance to the subject. As you move closer it gets smaller, move away and it gets larger. You can add extensions to the snoot (Pringles cans, rolled paper, etc) that increase the distance some.

The only adjustable light in aware of are these Fresnel Lights: How They Work and Why They Should Be in Your Arsenal - Videomaker

 

[ClickAddict]

I looked once for adjustable snoots. Even though moving your light is the obvious solution, it is not always the easiest (based on location setup.) I had paid for an actual photography snoot way back and on one shoot I needed/wanted a second. Without time to order one, the night before I went through my "pile of stuff I should throw out" as my wife says and found an old CD holder. Nice thick nylon type. Bent it into a rectangle and it fit snugly onto the flash head. (No need to even tape it on.) So I used some black tape to keep it bent and voila. Snoot #2. Works as well as the actual one. (And much cheaper) Dug through my stuff and found similar items I folded to various sizes, now I have 4 of different lengths which can be easily placed on the flash. Make them tight enough for a snug fit and they hold themselves (not very heavy so there's not much pressure needed)

 

[ClickAddict]

Being all black they actually dont stand out as DIY either and blend in quite nicely with the gear.

 

[Designer]

.. so would a straight tube be as effective?

It depends on how much spread you want vs. how much spill you will tolerate. I would just make them as needed using whatever will work. Saw one being made from a "light bender" being rolled up length-wise. I have some tough plastic sheets that I bought at Hobby Lobby. Roll it up however you want, use tape to hold it in place, and then save it flat for some other snoot need in the future.

 

[adamhiram]

In my experience, the spread is typically controlled by the grid attached. I have a Rogue 3-in-1 Flash Grid that works well with speed lights that came with stackable 16/25/45 degree grids, or can be used bare. If you are just looking to block light spill in specific places, you'd probably do well with either barn doors, or some DIY flags. I typically use either black posterboard taped onto a light stand or boom arm, or just use a variant of NielVN's Black Foamy Thing.

 

[Derrel]

Many Snoots have no grid. Many Snoots are just straight tubes. Some snoots, especially modern ones,have a small grid. My advice? Forget about Snoots entirely and move to honeycomb grids on different-sized reflectors:5 1/2 inch,7 inch,10.5", 16 inch,and 20 inch. Then you can have 3° 5° 10° 15Degree, 20° and 35° grids, and those can also be paired with diffusion material--like the Speedotron mylar clip-on diffusers. Why? Light control both in size and quality of light. A snoot is still raw light, And is often fairly harsh, compared to the dift light from an umbrella or soft box. Adding the mylar or other diffusing material to a gridded lught softens it, and makes it more in-tune with the quality of the light that is coming from a larger modifier. This creates quality accent light that doesn't look 1980s-like!

 

[JBPhotog]

Buy yourself a 24" x 25' roll of Rosco Cinefoil and roll your own snoots, flags, cookies, gobo's and barn doors or anything else you want heavy black foil for. It'll last forever and can be reused once you have done your shoot.

I agree with Derrel on grids too but sometimes you need a bit more control and thats where the Cinefoil comes in handy.

 

[tirediron]

I've used large pieces of matte black craft-foam (Wal-mart, <$5.00) and gaff tape when I want a "custom" snoot, 'though I genuinely can't remember the last time I used a snoot in portrait work... probably been 5+ years.

 

[smoke665]

I genuinely can't remember the last time I used a snoot in portrait work... probably been 5+ years.

So what do you classify the soup can contraption as? LOL

 

[tirediron]

I genuinely can't remember the last time I used a snoot in portrait work... probably been 5+ years.

So what do you classify the soup can contraption as? LOL

You mean my hairlight? That doesn't count... yes, it started out life as a snoot, but it isn't one any more!

 

[Nwcid]

I appreciate all of the help. This gives me a lot more insight.

So far the 2 main times I used snoots were for a sports team shoot and a specific shot at a wedding.

For the sports image I used the snoots (left and right) to light up the basketball hoop in the back ground and shot the team mid-court. There might have been a better way to light the backstop without over illuminating the rest of the background and not having the lights in the shot, but it was all I could figure out.

The other shot I did was this weekend at a small wedding. The groom wanted to highlight he was wearing socks and sandals. I used my softbox to light the couple, but I also wanted to direct more light directly at his feet.