The purpose of a snoot is to take a light source and focus it down into a more defined point, but The Beyond Photography Show host Andrew explains in this 11-minute video that the physics of snoots makes them terrible at their job.
When a light source is large relative to a subject, that light is considered “soft.” Soft light casts a shadow with a less defined, soft edge. Skin and other kinds of texture will be minimized. When a light source is small relative to a subject, that light is considered hard. Since the light comes from a smaller area relative to the subject, the shadow cast by hard light will have defined edges and the appearance of skin texture will be maximized.
I am always looking for new and easy ways to light part of an object or create interesting light in an image, and I think I have found the perfect tool for just that and so much more! Pixapro's Optical Snoot has opened up a more efficient way to be able to do this.
A typical snoot is used to control the direction and radius of of the light you're casting onto your subject, and they're great for getting certain effects. But photographer Peter Miesch's take on the snoot is a bit different; used right, his will give your photos a film-noire effect like you see in the example above.
If you have a potato chip tube lying around, you can convert the tube into a super simple DIY snoot. All you need to do is cut an opening in the closed end that's the size of your flash head (tip: use some duct tape to prevent it from scratching your flash).
The recently released $329 Godox V1 Pro is a round-head design speedlight that brings some subtle, and not-so-subtle updates to the already popular V1 system. The new flash adds features like an improved battery and charging system, the ability to take up to 100 continuous shots at full power, and it also has a detachable sub-flash for fill light use that effectively makes the system two lights in one.
The Godox BFP Flash Projection Attachment is a $299 projection lens that allows users to create interesting, creative, and precise light and shadow patterns in their images with Bowens mount flash heads (optionally the BLP is available for continuous light sources). While it’s not the first system of its kind to hit the market, what makes this unit stand apart from the crowd is it has a 360° rotatable design, has significantly less light leakage, and supports Iris attachments from several other brands.
It's no secret that most photography equipment is expensive and typically highly specialized. But that doesn't always need to be the case. In the above video from Adorama, photographer Gavin Hoey walks viewers through how to create studio portraits using a simple sheet of cardboard and some studio lights.
A photographer captured one of the rarest animals in the world -- a fish that can walk on its hands.
The heavily anticipated Paul C. Buff Celestial Light has given photographers who shoot on location and on the move a compact, reliable, and affordable lighting solution for their work.
Gradient lighting is a more advanced technique that brings extra nuance and refinement to strobe lighting. It is an effect that is mainly used by product photographers but can have other applications as well.
In this article, we are going to take a look at rim lighting. As you might guess, rim lighting is used to light a portion of the edge of your subject. While it is most often used as part of a multi-light setup, it can be used on its own for dramatic effect.
There are times as a photographer when you can feel like you’re running out of ideas. You’ve tried a variety of things but now you’re experiencing some kind of creative block and you feel frustrated.
Just a few weeks ago, Westcott released an interesting new system of silicone gels meant to make the lives of photographers easier via a set of tear-resistant and heat-resistant gels that could be quickly changed out for other colors in a matter of seconds.
Last week, NASA revealed the four astronauts embarking on the Artemis II mission. It's a momentous mission for NASA and humanity because Artemis II will be the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972 that a crewed spacecraft will travel to the Moon and beyond low Earth orbit.
Eric Wolfinger wanted to be a chef but became a self-trained food photographer. In the last 15 years, he has captured food for 25 cookbooks, editorial and commercial clients, and traveled the world doing food photography.
Westcott has announced the new L60-B 60W Bi-Color COB LED, an "ultra-portable" 60-wat bi-color light designed for video and photo content creators.
I’ve used poly-boards, bounce-boards, and even white sheets and white walls as lighting modifiers to soften the light in the past, but arguably the quickest and most efficient way to instantly achieve beautifully soft light, is the V-Flat.
There can be a lot of gear-envy among photographers when they see others with tons of expensive camera gear, lighting equipment, and modifiers. It is also all too easy to say that you can’t be creative because you don’t have access to a particular light or piece of equipment.
If you’ve decided to take the next step in your photographic lighting and purchase some studio strobes, then you will need to ask some questions about what kind of images you’ll be creating in the studio and what the best lighting for those particular subjects is.
In the two-plus decades I’ve been a photographer, finding the right light modifiers for the varied work that I did was a challenge. In the small community I lived in, my subject matter ranged from commercial photography to weddings and portraits. Each subject required its own type of lighting.
Creating an evenly lit background can be trickier than one would think, but is a skill that every photographer should master. But with the right equipment and knowledge, it gets much easier to capture a pure white, black, or colored gradient background in-camera without the need for heavy Photoshop cleanup in post.
For many years I’ve played with the idea of recreating various lighting looks that many of us may know and love from the natural world around us.
During long periods of cloudy weather, it can be really frustrating as an astrophotographer to wait for the sky to clear up. Over the years, I’ve learned how to handle these long downtimes.
Light shaping tools are very expensive. What if you could take any object and turn it into a modifier? That would save you a lot of money as well as give some unique results. In this article, I will share some everyday objects that you can turn into light modifiers to get different looks.
Just about a year ago Westcott expanded on its new wireless flash lineup that started with the FJ400 by offering new sizes and power outputs. After listening to user feedback, it launched the FJ200 as a more compact and travel-friendly light system... and it's awesome.
One of the most frustrating things I see is photographers limiting their knowledge of light to one modifier. So much so, that there are people who can build whole portfolios with just one single type of light. While this is not wrong, it must get boring for the viewer after some time. That is why I went searching for some of the most unusual light shaping tools.
You don’t often see photographers using gels outdoors in natural light, but why? I think one of the core reasons you don't see too many natural light gel shots, is that you need a lot of power and control from your lights to make color gels visible in daylight.
Taking photos of white subjects on white backgrounds or black subjects on black backgrounds is a skill that requires photographers to skillfully bend light in various ways. Photographer Zach Sutton has shared tips on what works best in each scenario.
It was the late-eighties. I had been working at Galoob Toys as a designer on the Micro Machines line, creating cars and playsets for several years. A dream job, drawing and painting cars and roadside architecture for a living, but I also craved something different that I could do for personal work.
Iams has launched a new app called NOSEiD that can scan dog noses and use them as unique identifiers in order to reconnect lost canines with owners. The app can connect dog snoots with an owner's contact information, similar to how fingerprints can link to specific people.
Photographers Rachel and Daniel at Mango Street decided to try out a few "photo hacks" they found on TikTok. These sorts of quick "hacks" are notorious for being fake or exaggerated, and they wanted to see which ones actually work, and which ones are only "meh."
Insects and other animals have fascinated me since I was a small child. I remember well how I used to pick them up and simply stare at them in wonder for hours. The concept of photographing insects indoors had been on my mind for years, even when photography and playing with light was a hobby, and long before I considered photography a profession and way of life.
Rogue has announced the latest version of its FlashBender shapeable reflectors and softboxes. Version 3 features a number of improvements over the previous iteration, including improved grip and shapeability.
My portrait photography education didn’t happen in a classroom, library, or workshop. Most of what I learned came from studying my heroes’ work, trying to figure out why I loved their pictures, and then putting my own twist on them.
YouTuber Jordy of Cinecom.net recently put together a list of DIY filmmaking and photography hacks that are proving to be quite popular. In just under 7 minutes, he covers 9 hacks, all of which use cardboard to make the magic happen.
The Underwater Photographer of the Year competition has named its winners for 2020, crowning French photographer Greg Lacoeur as this year's champion and selecting 8 other category winners from among 5500 entries submitted by underwater photographers from 70 different countries.
Light, shadow, and highlight -- this is always a great combination for creating portraits from a lighting point of view. This is the interesting part: changing the intensity of the highlight or the tone in the shadows while maintaining the exposure can produce a different feel to an image, from being dramatic to soft and subtle, and that is what is so intriguing about photography.
The Underwater Photography Guide has announced the winners of their 8th annual Ocean Art Underwater Photography Competition: a selection that runs the gamut between beautiful, eye popping and, in the case of the Conservation category winner, tragic and unnerving.
Our friends over at COOPH have put together a fun video that might just inspire you to break out the umbrella for a fun photo shoot this weekend. The rapid-fire video goes through 5 creative photo "hacks" that you can do with a spare umbrella and a few other odds and ends like fairy lights, aluminum foil, and duct tape.