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Foam snoot

Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
edited February 8, 2008 in Technique
I bought an insolation tube which could fit over the Stofen of the 430 EX and I cut it in 3 different sizes.
The interior of the snoot is black.
I placed the 350D on a tripod with the flash on it, 3 meters away from the wall and from the garage gate.
I placed the 20D on a tripod with the ST-E2 to get a larger view and where I could see the results of the flash projected on the gate and on the wall.
I shot one camera than the other, with the different snoots.
I discovered that when I switched off the 350D, the flash on it fired from the 20D via ST-E2. Good.:D
The longer the snoot, the more concentarted the light.:thumb
Well, this looks like a pretty obvious experience.
But I had to do it, to see it by myself.:wink
I can also see that the light on the wall is very harsh. I think I have to use a grid - a black one - to soften it.
That is the next step: make a grid to fit in.
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All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook

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    Mr. 2H2OMr. 2H2O Registered Users Posts: 427 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2008
    Antonio,
    Before you soften the light, try to use it with the snoot without a grid. The light looks harsh because of the angle you took the picture. Snoots are great when you want to fire the flash from a different position off camera and isolate some part of your subject. You can use another flash to create whatever light ratio on the "dark side" of your subject. The snoot is a really great tool.

    I use it to puch up a specific part of a subject without lighting up the surroundings. The light on the subject looks great based on how I want to light up the whole composition - I am a big fan of bare flash used creatively and the lighting does not have to look harsh if you light up the "dark side".
    Olympus E-30
    IR Modified Sony F717
    http://2H2OPhoto.smugmug.com
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    Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2008
    Mr. 2H2O (Water ne_nau.gif)

    I received yesterday my 580 EXII. Still no time to charge it ! :D

    Your comment makes me to go and shoot again but with the flash off camera.

    For example with the flash on the car, on the left where you can see it's boot and antena.

    Well, it's another experience.

    I have been using the flash off camera quite often now as you will be able to see in some of my post such as this one.

    Thank you for commenting. :Dbowdown.gif

    EDIT - Not charge the 580 EX II but load it with charged batteries. :)
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
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    SloYerRollSloYerRoll Registered Users Posts: 2,788 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2008
    Hey Antonio.

    I did the same test a while back. Check them out if you have time!

    blog.jonbrittstudios.com

    I've created new stuff, but unfortunately it's been low of the priority list. Since people that pay me for some reason want to see resultsne_nau.gifrofl
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    Mr. 2H2OMr. 2H2O Registered Users Posts: 427 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2008
    Mr. 2H2O (Water ne_nau.gif)

    Yes, Water but plural, Waters - its my name. I've only met 4 people over the past 20 years who get it - you are the fourth - congratulations!

    I've had so much fun practicing with light control just as you are experimenting - I use flash, reflectors, whatever I can get my hands on and its very fun to see the result. I believe with your joy, you will be able to make yourself very happy with results you will see from playing with the light from the flashes.
    Olympus E-30
    IR Modified Sony F717
    http://2H2OPhoto.smugmug.com
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    LiquidAirLiquidAir Registered Users Posts: 1,751 Major grins
    edited February 7, 2008
    Antonio,

    What is your motivation for putting a snoot on a Sto-Fen? Usually when I want I tight beam I zoom out to 105mm and then put a snoot or a grid directly on the flash head with velcro.

    As for softening the light, a grid by itself will not get you there. To get a soft directional light source you need a grid on a big light. For a soft directional light the answer is a gridded dish or gridded softbox which you can buy, at a price, for studio strobe systems. I would like to DIY something for shoemount stobes but I haven't yet come up with a concrete plan for how to get there.
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    Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited February 8, 2008
    SloYerRoll wrote:
    Hey Antonio.

    I did the same test a while back. Check them out if you have time!

    blog.jonbrittstudios.com

    I've created new stuff, but unfortunately it's been low of the priority list. Since people that pay me for some reason want to see resultsne_nau.gifrofl

    Hello Jon.
    Thank you for the link. I have been there before.:D
    I have been doing and experimenting things by myself... :D
    thumb.gif
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
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    Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited February 8, 2008
    Mr. 2H2O wrote:
    Yes, Water but plural, Waters - its my name. I've only met 4 people over the past 20 years who get it - you are the fourth - congratulations!...

    Portuguese are very clever rolleyes1.gifroflrolleyes1.gif
    Thanks :Dthumb.gif
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
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    Antonio CorreiaAntonio Correia Registered Users Posts: 6,241 Major grins
    edited February 8, 2008
    LiquidAir wrote:
    Antonio,

    What is your motivation for putting a snoot on a Sto-Fen? Usually when I want I tight beam I zoom out to 105mm and then put a snoot or a grid directly on the flash head with velcro.

    As for softening the light, a grid by itself will not get you there. To get a soft directional light source you need a grid on a big light. For a soft directional light the answer is a gridded dish or gridded softbox which you can buy, at a price, for studio strobe systems. I would like to DIY something for shoemount stobes but I haven't yet come up with a concrete plan for how to get there.
    Hello Ken. (2 n or 1 for Ken ? Because Kenneth has 2 n ...)

    Experimenting this snoot is connected to this year's project of shooting the bullfigh. As the buying of the 580 EX II - as a more powerfull flash giving me more flexibility and light control as far as I can do it - and the PW are.

    The idea now was/is to try to go to some 15 meters (590 inches) and have the light there on the scene, on the bull and the "toureiro".

    As I said before somewhere I want to shoot with two flashes: one above the camera with a bracket, - I will show you my home made FB someday - and the other at the top of a rod holded by my slave man some 2 meters above and 10 meters from me. (Why don't you move to metric system?mwink.gif)

    I hope to be able, this way, to get some light on the scene even beeing that far.
    Sure I am going to try the hole thing before the real one.

    The tourada will be in day light and at night.

    I intend to shoot always the same way: with the 2 flashes. I want the images to pop.
    This is the way I hope to be able to go.:D

    About softening the light: Kenn, this is also very important to me now.mwink.gif
    I am going to shoot a "toureiro" - the man leading the animal in Portuguese - some day in a room.
    I am going to take pictures of him getting dressed.
    The clothes are very exquisite and complicated to put on (the clothes could be exquisite and not complicated like your photos are) and I want to have beautifull light on the guy. You say a large/big light ?

    Huummm I haven't got any. And I am not going to buy it now.

    Oh no. I do have the humbrella. I almost forgot about it. :D:D

    Thank you Kenn for commenting.thumb.gifthumb

    EDIT - I forgot to tell that I used the Stofen not to stress the head of the flash because the tube is rather hard to fit around
    All the best ! ... António Correia - Facebook
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