Flash: Snoots

So with the pandemic going on, I have been staying home more than normal. The pictures of the mushroom that I took not to long ago needed some different lighting that just a flash. A flash was involved but there was a home made snoot on it.

*If you are familiar with snoots you can probably skip ahead to after the picture. If not read on.

So a snoot is a light modifier that contains the spread of the light. Think flashlight versus a lamp. Basically it is to make it so the flash is on one specific subject or even part of the subject. In doing so it can make the subject stand out from the rest of the picture. One can also be used to isolate the subject turning nearly everything else in the frame either in shadow or blacked out.

Now a snoot is basically an opaque cylinder that fits over the front of a flash. I have seen some a while back that had reflective surfaces inside of them. I have seen others that are collapsible and ones where the size of the opening can be changed.

A tiny mushroom I found growing on the side of a seed starter pot. It was less smaller than a 1/4 inch. Marco lens, lit from above on a wooden cutting board, 1/60 second, f13, iso 100, camera was tripod mounted with a timer some I could hand hold the flash.

Today I will show you how I made a simple one with an adjustable opening. First you get a piece of construction paper that is black, next you roll it into tube, then you adjust the roll until it fits around your off camera flash on one side and has the opening size that you want on the other side. Finally if you want to keep it that specific size then tape the paper together. Below is a picture of todays subject.

The conjoined crimson clover that was in the backyard. To give an idea of how close everything is in the coming set of pictures.

First the construction paper wrapper around the flash. The second was actually taken last and is the conjoined clovers with no flash (all the pictures were taken within 12 minutes) to show the lighting that was there. The third image is of a flash with no snoot from nearly were it would mount on the camera. The fourth is with the snoot but wide so it light both flower heads. Finally the fifth picture is with the snoot with a small opening only big enough to completely light one flower head.

It isn’t hard and it can be very useful in the right situations. Given the current situation with the pandemic it is something that can be tried without leaving home. Stay safe and as always I would love to see what you can do with this new information. Pictures and comments are welcome

Film

Good Evening,

I still shoot with film sometimes. Granted it is not often due to costs, time, ease of digital. I recall the magic of it though. While in high school I worked on the newspaper and the yearbook. Taking a few pictures but printing them often. It might be nostalgia, seeing an image come into being after putting it into developer was mesmerizing. If you get the chance do it first hand. I introduced my daughters to it however they were born into a digital age and never had to wait for pictures, or pay for them. I do not have the ability to develop prints at home even though it is something that I would like to have them experience.

The advantage of film is that it has nostalgia, each film has a different look and feel to it, shots have to be thought out, you are limited to how many images you can take, and all of those add up to us slowing down.

Some of this can be done with digital. The nostalgia not so much, but during outings with our cameras if we limit ourselves to 36 exposures while turning off the preview some of the feel of film can be captured. If you want to go a step further limit the WB and ISO. Back in the day the only way to get a new ISO or WB was to change out the roll of film. Getting the look of the film is still a little difficult. There are some profiles out there that are decent, I haven't tried too many. Another way to get it is to shoot the same thing and the same time with digital and film then copy the look from the film. It is time consuming to do but I feel the look is better.

Here are a couple that I took and edited after. The size difference is from using a crop sensor on the digital camera and roughly the same position I believe. Without exif data I can't say for sure what lens I was using.

A couple of recommendations that I have if you are going to shoot film. Find a lab with a good price and good reviews (I used Willow Photo Lab for these on Ektar 100 film), and be prepared for the price. I sent in 10 rolls to develop/scan/print and with shipping it was $7.00+ per roll, with a single roll it would have been $7.50 per roll without shipping. First time using them and the work was good. Get some nostalgia going on or if you are too young to have ever shot film learn what us old timers had to go through before digital photography by borrowing or buying a film camera. If that is too much lock settings in and turn off your preview then wait a couple of days before looking at your pictures. What ever you decide to do just pick up a camera then go out and shoot.

~Scott