Lesson 8: Grids and Snoots

In this class, we experimented with using grids and snoots. Instead of spreading out the light with softboxes and umbrellas, we looked at how to focus or narrow the light to affect very specific areas of our images.

We started by setting our 1600 strobe 6 feet from the seamless gray paper. The smallest grid (10 degrees) gives us the most focused light, while the largest grid (40 degrees) gives us the widest light. As the degrees get larger, more light is allowed through, so the exposure must be adjusted to compensate.

We used cinefoil (black heat proof foil) to make a make-shift snoot. This material is easily shaped and can be used to focus the light even further than the 10 degree grid and also make shapes with the light. We shaped it slightly by wrapping it around a roll of tape in the studio.

Using what we saw from the demonstration, we chose a low-key Old Hollywood style photograph to replicate.

Elle Olins by Neil van Niekerk

Reilly O'Brien by Hana Non

We used 3 lights, 1 key with a 10 degree snoot that was also flagged to cover half of it, 1 background light with a 20 degree grid and one fill that was to the subject's right side.

The lighting set-up:

As it turns out, there is a behind the scenes of the original shoot on Neil van Niekerk's blog



































Production stills by Jaclyn Sands