Snoot & Focused Beam Lighting

Type: Photography / lighting technique
Related techniques: Macro Photography, Strobe/Flash Photography
Key pioneers: Keri Wilk, Oskar Marko Music (Retra), Alex Mustard, Mike Bartick
Significance: Transformed underwater macro photography from the late 2000s onward by enabling selective subject illumination on black backgrounds; spawned an entire product category and became a standard competition technique

Overview

Snoot lighting is a technique in which a tube-like device (a “snoot”) is fitted over the front of an underwater strobe to narrow its beam of light, directing illumination onto a small area rather than flooding the entire scene. The result is a dramatically lit subject isolated against a dark or black background. As Mike Veitch explained, a snoot “fits on the end of the strobe and concentrates the light into a tight beam,” allowing the photographer to “selectively choose what area of a subject you want to light” (^[1]).

Mike Bartick defined the technique succinctly: “A snoot is a device that is used to control strobe flash in an image. Snoots don’t produce light but help to channel the light for dramatic placement and effect. Often times its not whats in the image with snooting, but whats not in the image” (^[2]).

Beyond creative macro spotlighting, snoots serve practical purposes: reducing backscatter by narrowing the beam (particularly valuable in low-visibility conditions), enabling daytime black-background shots by overpowering ambient light at high f-stops, and allowing photographers to minimize environmental impact by illuminating subjects from a distance rather than approaching and disturbing them (^[3]).

Origins: Keri Wilk and the Snoot Revolution (2009-2010)

The modern snoot movement in underwater photography traces directly to the Canadian photographer Keri Wilk. As Borut Furlan wrote in his 2011 review: “In 2010, the Canadian underwater photographer Keri Wilk surprised the community of underwater photographers with a set of amazing pictures. The featured main objects on those were illuminated, while the rest of the photo was pitch black” (^[4]).

Wilk used relatively simple homemade tube or funnel-type snoots attached to his strobes. These were “reductive” snoots — they worked by blocking most of the strobe’s light output until only a narrow beam remained. This approach had two main limitations: the snoot had to be positioned very close to the subject to maintain the small point of light, and most of the strobe’s power was wasted. As a result, many of Wilk’s iconic early shots were taken at night, when daylight could not overpower the spotlight effect (^[5]).

In March 2010, Wilk published what Alex Mustard later called a “now classic reference article” on snoot photography on DivePhotoGuide. Wetpixel highlighted the article, quoting Wilk: “If you’re willing to suffer through the inevitable headaches, and are looking to expand your underwater photography skills, you might want to consider the snoot” (^[6]). Mustard described his influence: “Few would doubt that the current passion for snoots in underwater photography was inspired by the ground-breaking images of Keri Wilk.” As a competition judge, Mustard recalled telling fellow judges at a Wetpixel/DPG/OWU contest “that I didn’t care which of his snooted shots won the macro category, as long as one of them did, so much did they stand out” (^[7]).

Bartick’s 2018 snooting article opened with the same credit: “It wasn’t too long ago when Keri Wilk swept the competitions with his stunning macro images created with a snoot. At a time when only a handful of people even knew what a snoot was, he produced some show stopping images that were as ahead of the curve then, as they are today” (^[8]).

Types of Snoots

Tube / Funnel Snoots (Reductive)

The simplest snoot type: a tube or cone attached to the strobe head that blocks all light except what passes through the narrow opening at the end. Easily DIY-built — Mike Veitch noted they could be “easily made at home by cutting a plastic bottle in half and attaching it to the strobe with duct tape” (^[9]). Keri Wilk’s pioneering work used this type. When INON announced snoots for their S-2000 strobe in June 2010 at $190, forum commenters noted that they were “clearly out priced” by DIY versions (^[10]). A Wetpixel forum thread on building snoots based on Wilk’s article generated significant community discussion (^[11]).

Limitations: significant light loss (most strobe power wasted), must be positioned very close to the subject, beam diffuses rapidly with distance, and the snoot itself can scare skittish subjects (^[12]).

Fiber Optic Snoots

Fiber optic cables channel light from the strobe to a flexible endpoint near the subject. In September 2010, Eric Cheng documented a fiber optic snoot system built by “Shen” at Reef Photo & Video, which used fiber optic cables threaded through articulated LocLine arms attached to Ikelite strobes (^[13]). A Wetpixel forum member named Phil Mercurio had independently developed a similar “Fibre Snoot” using the two flash tubes of an Inon strobe to provide two fiber snoot channels from one strobe (^[14]).

In November 2010, ReefNet (Keri Wilk’s company) announced plans to release a commercial fiber optic snoot with “150 x 0.75mm fibers in each arm with polished ends” for Ikelite, Inon, and Sea & Sea strobes. Keri and Chris Wilk displayed a prototype at DEMA 2010 (^[15], ^[16]).

Also in November 2010, Marcell Nikolausz combined the fiber optic snoot concept with Alex Mustard’s home-made ring-flash idea to create a DIY fiber optic ring-flash, using fiber optic cables attached with Velcro around the lens port (^[17]).

Bartick’s 2018 guide praised the ReefNet fiber optic snoot: “Using a quality fiber optic snoot like the one made by Reefnet also has its advantages. The light quality is different enough for me to justify owning and teaching both.” He noted the FO snoot could use two snoots simultaneously from one base, and that it excelled at backlighting, super macro, and off-camera lighting. The disadvantage was that “its hard to know where the snoot will flash prior to releasing the shutter” (^[18]).

Advantages over tubes: more flexible positioning, can reach subjects from different angles, FO snoots create softer edge lighting compared to the sharp falloff of optical snoots. Limitations: still requires close proximity, considerable light loss, and the device can scare subjects (^[19], ^[20]).

Optical Snoots (Light Shaping Devices)

The major innovation in snoot technology came from Oskar Marko Music, a young Slovenian underwater photographer who, inspired by Wilk’s tube snoot images, devised a lens-based system that could project a focused beam of light from a greater working distance. Borut Furlan described the genesis: “a couple of months after the spot macro shots were published… I was contacted by a then barely twenty years old Slovenian underwater photographer, Oskar Marko Music. He described an incredible idea that would enable one to illuminate objects selectively from a greater distance — and thus avoid scaring them away!” (^[21]).

Music’s Light Shaping Device (LSD), later commercialized through his company Retra Underwater Technology, consisted of three modules: a light collector that gathered the strobe’s wide-angle output onto a small diffuser area, an aperture system for shaping the beam (circles, squares, custom shapes), and a projection lens (70mm or 100mm) that focused the light spot at a working distance. Both Music and Furlan developed independent prototypes tested from late October 2010 onward. Music initially used a truncated Plexiglas cone for light collection (based on total internal reflection), but later replaced it with a highly reflective white coating that “reflects light better and spreads it evenly over the diffuser, all the while minimizing the weight and size of the device” (^[22]).

Key advantages over reductive snoots:

• Subjects illuminated from greater distance (working distance of 166-246mm underwater), avoiding scaring marine life
• Light is focused rather than reduced, resulting in minimal light loss (roughly one to two f-stops with the 100mm lens)
• The pilot/aiming light projects exactly where the flash will fire
• Interchangeable aperture shapes (circles, squares, custom cuts) allow creative beam patterns
• Can be used with both macro and wide-angle lenses, including fisheye (^[23])

Commercial Products

Retra LSD (2011-present)

The first commercial optical snoot. Retra initially offered the LSD for pre-order via Borut Furlan’s September 2011 review at 995 euros for Seacam 250 and 150 strobe versions (^[24]). The first general commercial release followed in March 2012 at 599 euros, with models for Seacam, Ikelite DS-125, Sea & Sea YS-110/YS-250Pro, Subtronic Pro 270, and Inon Z-240 strobes. It shipped with 8 aperture plates and an aluminum housing with anti-reflective coated lens (^[25]).

A redesigned third-generation LSD followed in August 2012 in three tiers: Basic, Pro, and Exclusive, starting at 499 euros. The third generation featured “a completely redesigned optical system with newly patented optical elements improving the contrast of outgoing light,” assembly in argon gas atmosphere (Exclusive model), and a magnetic dock capable of holding 2 kg (^[26]). In October 2012, Retra added a Pilot Light Enhancement (PLE) module specifically for the Inon Z240, which straightened the aiming light beam for easier snoot alignment at 48 euros. The PLE caused a loss of one stop in strobe power (^[27]).

In February 2013, Retra introduced the LSD Prime at 349 euros to reach a mainstream audience. Alex Mustard reviewed it, confirming that while the Prime used the same lens technology as the Pro, it offered slightly less light efficiency at a significantly lower price. The LSD Prime shipped with 13 standard aperture shapes for modifying the beam, compared to 8 for the Pro. Mustard introduced the Retra team as “Oskar Music, Jure Novak and Luka Mali” from Slovenia (^[28], ^[29]).

By 2013, Retra’s optical snoots had already “been dominating the podiums of Fotosub (on the day style) contests” and claimed a gold medal for Slovenia in the macro category of the CMAS World Championship of Underwater Photography in the hands of Rok Kovacic (^[30]).

The development of the LSD also led Retra into strobe manufacturing: in 2017, they launched the Retra Flash, a full strobe designed with a bayonet mount explicitly intended for easy attachment of LSD snoots and other light-shaping accessories. Retra’s General Manager Oskar Zupancic explained: “Making the LSD taught us lots about existing light sources and different qualities of light” (^[31]). The Retra Pro X followed by 2022, reviewed by Adam Hanlon with its LSD snoot integration as a key selling point. Commenter Peter Korn noted the LSD “felt like it was really best suited for super-macro only,” while Adam Hanlon responded that he had “used the LSD a lot” and “even used it for wide angle” (^[32]). In 2020, Retra also released the Reflector accessory, reviewed by Bartick, which boosted strobe output by approximately one full stop through a machined aluminum reflective element (^[33]).

Seahorn Snoots (2010)

Among the first commercial tube snoots for underwater strobes, launched in June 2010 with sizes to fit Ikelite, Inon, Sea & Sea, Seacam, and other brands. Each came with three interchangeable attachments for various beam angles, attached via Velcro. Made in “inconspicuous black color to enable closer approach to shy marine animals.” Available in four sizes (L, M, S, XS) for strobes ranging from the large Ikelite DS-200 to the compact Inon S-2000 (^[34]).

INON Snoot Sets (2010, 2019)

INON announced snoots for its S-2000 strobe in June 2010, including a rubber hood, diffusers, and tubes of two diameters offering six beam angles from 16 to 105 degrees (^[35]). In January 2019, INON shipped a snoot set for their Z-330 and D-200 strobes, featuring an aluminum sleeve that screwed onto the strobe’s heat sink threads, along with both 10mm and 26mm restrictor tubes. The set included the same six beam angle configurations as the S-2000 version (^[36]).

Backscatter MF-1 / MF-2 & OS-1 (2020-present)

Backscatter designed the Mini Flash MF-1 strobe and OS-1 Optical Snoot as an integrated system from inception. The OS-1 fitted snugly over the MF-1 with a rubber mount and featured two sliding aperture controls (round and oval shapes in three sizes each), with a rotating head. Working distance was approximately 10cm (4 inches) from the subject with beam reach up to 90cm (36 inches) in shaded conditions. The MF-1 was powered by a single 18650 lithium-ion battery, with six power levels and recycle times from near-instant (levels 1-3) to about 2 seconds at full power (^[37]).

Mike Bartick reviewed the system and emphasized its accessibility: “Each person that I gave it to has come back with positive results on their first dive. This is very refreshing… anyone that wants to shoot with a snoot, should try this kit first.” He also demonstrated dual-snoot setups with one MF-1/OS-1 for front illumination and another for backlighting (^[38]).

The successor MF-2 maintained the same OS-1 compatibility and became the most widely discussed snoot system in Wetpixel forums by 2023, with users pairing it alongside larger strobes (such as the Inon Z-330) for a flexible macro/snoot dual setup (^[39]).

Marelux SOFT (2022-2023)

Marelux shipped their Smart Optical Flash Tube (SOFT) in March 2022, an optical snoot compatible with Sea & Sea YS-D2/D3, Inon Z240/Z330, and Retra Flash Pro X strobes. It featured a built-in battery-powered aiming light (180 lumens, powered by an 18650 battery with 16+ hours runtime), adjustable aperture controlled by an external dial, a focal length of 130mm, and spot sizes from 8mm to 50mm at the focal point. Priced at $470 plus $80 for the strobe-specific dock. The aiming light automatically quenched for 1.2 seconds when it detected a strobe flash (^[40]).

The SOFT Pro followed, reviewed by Kate Jonker in February 2023. It was 5.5cm shorter and 182g lighter than its predecessor, with a working distance of 150mm and adjustable spot sizes from 3mm to 50mm. It featured both white and red aiming lights (the red option useful for photographing timid fish), a dial-adjusted aperture eliminating the need for interchangeable masks, and configurable aiming light shutoff duration (0.2 or 1.2 seconds) for slow shutter speed work. Jonker called the red light “a game-changer for photographing timid fish who tend to be frightened by constant white light.” She noted that unlike other snoots requiring mask changes, “I could control the size of the beam without moving my head or the SOFT Pro” (^[41]).

10 Bar Snoots

Third-party manufacturer producing laser-guided snoots compatible with Sea & Sea and Inon strobes. Alex Tattersall used a 10 Bar laser snoot for his environmental-impact-minimizing macro work, noting the laser pointer was “visible even during the day — very useful” as an aiming tool. He set the laser to be a couple of millimeters away from the subject’s eye out of caution regarding potential effects of laser light on critters (^[42]).

Technique

Basic Setup

Bartick recommended the following “jump settings” for snoot photography: ISO 100, shutter speed 1/200 or faster, aperture f/18 and higher, strobe power at three-quarters. For super macro, increase ISO to 360. He advised against using full power to avoid overheating the strobe head and recommended “taking a break for a few minutes during intense use” (^[43]).

He recommended mounting the snoot on the left strobe for right-handed photographers, allowing adjustment of light placement with the left hand while operating camera controls with the right. Two float arms (6-inch and 8-inch) provided the reach and articulation needed. He also noted fiber optic cables allowed him to “unplug one strobe and plug in another while underwater,” keeping a third snooted strobe available on the rig (^[44]).

Alignment Method (Mustard/van Twist)

Rob van Twist, referencing Alex Mustard’s Underwater Photography Masterclass (2016), described the recommended alignment technique: position the snooted strobe centrally above the port aiming down at the subject, set it up once at the start of the dive on a boring stone about the size of the intended subject, and try not to adjust it again during the dive. Alex Tattersall used the same approach, finding “a rock or patch of similar size and reflective property/color to the subject in order to set up the shot before approaching the critter” (^[45]).

Van Twist expanded on this with detailed calculations about compensating for the change in focal distance between air and water caused by refraction through the flat port. Using Snell’s Law, he derived that the underwater focal distance is 1.33 times the surface focal distance (Sw = 1.33 x Sa), meaning a snoot aligned at 100mm on the surface would need to be at 133mm underwater. This mathematical framework for pre-dive snoot alignment allowed photographers to prepare their equipment precisely before entering the water (^[46]).

Applications Beyond Macro Spotlighting

While the “macro spotlight” — a subject isolated in a circle of light on a black background — is the image most associated with snoots, practitioners emphasized broader applications:

• Backscatter reduction: Edward Centelles, captain of the Spanish team at the 2015 CMAS World Championship, noted: “Visibility is an issue… there are lots of particles in the water. So strobe positioning and using snoots will be critical” (^[47]). Snoots were described as “an essential accessory” at the championship. Van Twist confirmed this, finding snooting worked “really well” for “reducing the backscatter” during low-visibility lake dives in the Netherlands (^[48]).

• Wide-angle use: Alex Mustard demonstrated LSD snoots with fisheye lenses, positioning the device behind the lens’s viewing angle to spotlight foreground subjects (^[49]). Borut Furlan confirmed: “LSD also works great with fisheye lenses” and recommended using a small dome port for more freedom in LSD positioning (^[50]). Adam Hanlon noted he had “even used it for wide angle” in his 2012 experience with the LSD, calling the unique lighting effect particularly effective on wide-angle images (^[51], ^[52]).

• Environmental ethics: Alex Tattersall advocated snoots as a tool for minimizing environmental impact in macro photography. Using a 10 Bar laser snoot on a fire urchin with a zebra crab, he demonstrated that “the snoot light allowed focus on the crab’s carapace and highlighted the colors of the fire urchin trails” without the need for subject manipulation or close approach. He argued that snoots and focused light “have little effect on many species of marine life if used with care and attention” (^[53]).

• Creative techniques: The 2016 Underwater Photographer of the Year winner, Davide Lopresti, used a snoot combined with slow shutter speed and camera movement to create the impression of motion blur in the background while freezing the subject (a seahorse) with the flash. Lopresti explained: “by moving the camera, [it] gives the impression of movement in the background. Then, using an underwater flash with a ‘snoot’ attached… I was able to freezing only the seahorse” (^[54]).

• Off-camera and backlit snooting: Adam Hanlon described off-camera lighting as “the new snoot” in 2011, noting that creative use of remote slave triggers allowed photographers to vary light direction and source (^[55]). Bartick demonstrated dual-snoot setups with one unit for front illumination and another for backlighting, and noted that off-camera lighting “is quite simple with the FO snoot” since it could be set in sand or on a small tripod (^[56], ^[57]).

• Video applications: By 2023, underwater videographers began adapting snoot techniques to continuous lighting for macro video. Forum discussions identified key differences: video cannot rely on fast shutter speeds to eliminate ambient light, making closed aperture and precise light positioning even more critical. Practitioners found that snooted light positioned directly above the subject produced the most effective black backgrounds in video (^[58]).

Competition Impact

Snoot photography became a dominant force in underwater photography competitions from 2010 onward. The technique’s impact can be traced through several milestones:

• 2009-2011: Wilk “swept the board” at multiple competitions with his snooted macro images, winning Best of Show at Underwater Images 2009, Ocean Art 2010, Beneath the Sea 2011, and numerous other events (^[59])
• 2013: Retra LSD snoots were “dominating the podiums of Fotosub contests” in Europe, with Rok Kovacic winning gold in the CMAS World Championship macro category (^[60])
• 2015: At the CMAS World Championship in the Netherlands, snoots were described as “an essential accessory” and the winning macro photograph was a double exposure made with a Nikon D7000, 105mm macro lens, and a single Inon Z240 strobe with snoot. Alex Mustard served on the jury (^[61])
• 2016: Underwater Photographer of the Year winner Davide Lopresti used a snoot for his grand prize image (^[62])

Martin Edge and Alex Mustard, in their November 2010 joint lecture to over 240 photographers at Imperial College London, devoted significant time to snoots. After Mustard mentioned snoots and off-camera flash as “tools for difficult conditions, quite apart from their creative applications,” Edge offered the philosophy: “Sometimes what makes a photo sing is not so much where the light is; but where it isn’t” (^[63]).

Timeline

• ~2007: Seacam SeaFlash 150 Digital strobe designed with snoot attachment capability via O-ring (^[64])
• 2009-2010: Keri Wilk dominates competitions with snooted macro images using homemade tube snoots
• 2010-03: Wilk publishes definitive snoot article on DivePhotoGuide, highlighted by Wetpixel (^[65])
• 2010-06: INON announces snoots for S-2000 strobes; Seahorn launches commercial snoot range (^[66], ^[67])
• 2010-09: Fiber optic snoot systems emerge at Reef Photo & Video and in Wetpixel forums (^[68])
• 2010-10: Oskar Music and Borut Furlan first test their optical LSD prototypes in the sea (^[69])
• 2010-11: ReefNet (Keri Wilk) announces fiber optic snoot; Marcell Nikolausz creates DIY fiber optic ring-flash (^[70], ^[71])
• 2010-11: Martin Edge and Alex Mustard discuss snoots at length during their landmark London lecture to 240+ photographers (^[72])
• 2011-09: Borut Furlan publishes comprehensive review of Retra LSD for Wetpixel; pre-orders open at 995 euros (^[73])
• 2012-03: Retra releases LSD commercially at 599 euros with models for six strobe brands (^[74])
• 2012-08: Retra releases third-generation LSD in three tiers from 499 euros (^[75])
• 2012-10: Retra releases Pilot Light Enhancement module for INON Z240 compatibility (^[76])
• 2013-02: Alex Mustard reviews Retra LSD Prime (349 euros) for Wetpixel; Retra LSD dominating European competition podiums (^[77])
• 2015-05: Snoots described as “essential accessory” at CMAS World Championship; winning macro shot made with snooted Z240 (^[78])
• 2016-03: Snooted image wins Underwater Photographer of the Year grand prize (^[79])
• 2016-10: Rob van Twist publishes technical article on narrow beam snoot alignment theory for Wetpixel (^[80])
• 2017-09: Retra Flash ships with bayonet mount designed for LSD and light-shaping accessories (^[81])
• 2018-07: Mike Bartick publishes “Effective Snooting” guide on Wetpixel, crediting Wilk as pioneer (^[82])
• 2019-02: INON ships snoot set for Z-330/D-200 strobes (^[83])
• 2020-02: Backscatter MF-1/OS-1 Mini Flash and Optical Snoot kit reviewed; praised for accessibility (^[84])
• 2020-10: Retra Reflector accessory reviewed; boosts strobe output by ~1 stop (^[85])
• 2022-03: Marelux ships SOFT (Smart Optical Flash Tube) with built-in aiming light (^[86])
• 2023-02: Marelux SOFT Pro reviewed; smaller, lighter, with red aiming light option (^[87])

References

Wetpixel Live