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How to Make a Snoot

Photography is known as "the art of light," and a professional photographer learns how to create ideal lighting situations. You can manipulate natural or available light with reflectors and direct studio lights to suit the needs of your shoot. When taking studio pictures, try using a snoot to add more emphasis to your subject or create separation between her and your backdrop. A snoot attaches to the end of your flash or lamp to tunnel the light accurately. You can make one with materials you may already have on hand.

Things You'll Need

Heavy-duty aluminum foil
Black foam paper
Scissors
Gaffer or electrical tape

Instructions

- 1
  Use heavy-duty aluminum foil as your snoot material if you plan to attach it to the end of a small lamp for a hair light.
- 2
  Cut several layers of foil, and form them into a cone shape. Attach the wide end to the lamp with the narrow end pointing toward your subject's hair. You can reshape the foil to make the opening bigger or smaller according to your needs.
- 3
  Make a snoot to attach to your flash with black foam paper and tape. Wrap the paper around the end of your flash unit, then cut the paper to size with scissors. Tape the long sides together with gaffer or electrical tape to close the paper, creating a black tunnel for the light to travel through.
- 4
  Slip the snoot on the end of the flash and experiment with your new lighting recipe.

Photography