Top tips for studio photography – Using snoots, grids and barndoors
This is the second in a series of short articles on studio tricks and gear that pro photographers use to make their life easier and to get the shots they need.
Todays tip is using snoots, grids and barndoors to get creative lighting effects from your studio strobes or flash lighting.
Clockwise from top: Barndoor; Reflector; Snoot
What are they?
A snoot is basically a conical tube that fits over the front of a strobe light in order to direct the light to a smaller area. Rather than allowing the light to spread over a wide arc, the snoot focuses it into a small circle, similar to the way the lens on a mag-lite torch does. A grid can be attached to the front to soften the effect. Each strobe manufacturer makes them but they tend to be relatively expensive so many people choose to improvise and make them themselves.
A grid is usually used as an accessory to a snoot – it’s essentially a kind of honeycomb filter that further tightens and softens the light circle.
A barn-door takes things a step further. It’s made of four adjustable metal flaps arranged in a square and attached to a mount which fits to your strobe light. Each of these flaps can be moved so the light from the flash can be shaped or shielded from a particular direction.
A grid over the snoot gives a more accurate image circle and softens the edges
Why do I need to use them?
Narrowing down the beam of light emitted by your strobe lights allows you to create directional highlights on your subject. It also allows you to place lighting behind your subject without blinding the camera. A typical use for a snoot would be to combine with a honeycomb grid as a hair light, to separate your model from the background and accentuate the hair. It can also be used as a spotlight effect for portraiture or still life.
Barndoors are a staple of film and theatre lighting – they are more versatile than snoots and allow you to shape the light in different ways, going beyond neutral lighting to create different moods and effects. For example it could be used to simulate a sunbeam through a window, or to create a harsh band of light across the subjects face. More subtly it can be used to control background lights so they don’t spill onto the foreground.
Using either of these lighting techniques will give you that extra bit of control and make your shoots more unique, although as with most things it can be over-used. If you aren’t already using these get hold of some as soon as you can and start experimenting.
Previous tip: Shooting tethered
Next tip: Using flash gels to colour the background
Related posts:
- Top tips for studio photography – Shooting tethered
- Must Have Studio Accessories
- Getting Started in Studio Photography
- 1 – 3 Head Lighting Positions
- Studio Ninja Cheat Sheets – Part 1: Night Photography
