A snoot is a tube or similar object that fits over a light used in theatrical lighting or photography, to control the direction and radius of the light beam. Snoots can be cylindrical or truncated conical in shape, different lengths and diameters, and made of various materials.
In photography, a snoot is attached to a studio light or portable flash,1 and may be conical, cylindrical, or rectangular in shape. Snoots can isolate a subject when using a flash. They help by stopping "light spill", or when lighting falls in a larger footprint than intended.23
References
References
- "Lighting 101 Cereal Box Snoots" Strobist explains the use of snoots in flash photography
- Richard Ferncase (22 April 1992). Basic Lighting Worktext for Film and Video. CRC Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-136-04418-2.
- Hybinette, Maria (31 March 2011). "Assignment 9: On-Camera Flash". Art and Science of Photography CSCI 4900 / 6900. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
Neil's half-snoot to avoid light spillage…