DIY Mottled Backdrop

For those of us born in the 1970’s and 80’s, this new phenomenon of mottled, cloudy backdrops appearing in modern portraits is an odd one. You see, back when we were kids, we had horrendously cheesy family and school portraits taken in front of these bizarrely arranged patterns, so to us, it’s pretty weird to see these painted, cloudy backdrops now grace the covers of Vogue and Tatler.

Truth be told, I am exaggerating a little. Yes, we have plenty of mottled backdrops adorning the pages of the latest fashion magazines, but the backdrops have gotten a little classier since I donned some small grey shorts and sat in front of one.

Oliphant Studios makes some incredible backdrops…but they are a little pricey! — Oliphant Studios makes some incredible backdrops…*but they are a little pricey!*

In the fashion world, the go-to company for these latest background designs is Oliphant Studios. Oliphant really have turned these backgrounds into art pieces in their own right and their hand painted canvas backdrops are used by leading fashion photographers from around the globe.

But the Oliphant backdrops do have a downside, their cost. Like I said, these are hand painted canvases so they are quite literally pieces of artwork in the traditional sense. But as beautiful as these bespoke backgrounds are, the $1500 price tag can be a little rich for some budgets.

Now firstly you may be thinking, “Well I can just throw some paint on a large canvas and push it around a bit. Voila! Hand painted canvas backdrop!” Although some of the backdrops may look like this is all that’s happened to get them to its final form, I assure you that it’s not quite as simple as it may first appear.

So if we just hold off on turning your Grandmothers curtains into a Jackson Pollock for a moment, I may have another suggestion for you to try instead.

Plus it’ll only cost you about £25 to try so what’s to lose.

The DIY Mottled Backdrop

What you will need

Large blackout window blind
Blackboard black paint
Large paint brush or roller
Large sponge
White chalk

As I mentioned previously, all of this can be bought very cheaply and the most expensive thing will likely be your window blind. The blackout blind will be your backdrop so buy one that’s as big or as little as you need. Personally though, I’d recommend getting one as big as you can find to give you options in the long run. One thing I do strongly recommend though, is that it’s a ‘blackout’ blind. These are thicker, heavier and often have a plastic side that will help keep the paint we’re about to use from seeping through unnecessarily.

One other thing to consider with the blind is the colour. Again, personally I’d stick to a dark colour like black or dark grey, but of course feel free to experiment with browns or blues for a slightly more unique look.

All of the other items can be picked up fairly easily almost anywhere and a quick search on Amazon or other sites that sell most of the basic things will get everything you need all in one place.

Below is a link to some of the items I used to make mine. The blind was 160cm x 210cm deep and that’s probably as small as I’d recommend going. Jake Hicks Photography - Amazon Associate Page

Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

The Steps

Step 1

Lay out some old newspaper or painting sheets on the floor first, then roll out your window blind on top and ensure that none of your flooring is left exposed. Failure to do so, may result in blackboard paint getting on the floor and that jet-black paint is a nightmare to remove.

Step 2

Pop open your blackboard paint, and start painting it liberally all over one side of your window blind. Bear in mind that you’ll be painting onto the front (fabric) side so the paint will get absorbed. Like I said, be liberal with the paint you use.

Step 3

Your window blind is fairly porous, so although it will have soaked up some of the paint, the plastic backing will have kept it from going anywhere. Once you’ve finished painting it, you can either leave it on the floor to dry, or if you don’t have space, you can simply hang it up.

Step 4

Once your window blind is dry (usually only a couple of hours) you can now start to cover it in chalk. I won’t lie, this bit does take some time with the smaller hand chalks like I was using. I also recommend doing this in a well ventilated area as there will be a good amount of chalk dust floating around. Sadly there is no magic technique to this. Just get on your hands and knees and start covering the thing in as much chalk as you can.
Pro Tip: Be very mindful of the surface underneath your blind when your covering it in chalk. If the surface isn’t even or has any bumps in it, this will show through when covering the blind in chalk.

Step 5

Once you’ve very liberally covered your blind in chalk it’s now time to rub it in and blend it out a little. Grab your big DRY sponge and begin rubbing it all over your chalk marks. With enough rubbing the chalk should now be far less visually uniform and you should now have a fairly cloudy-looking pattern instead of a chalk factory floor.

Step 6

You’re done and you can now stop calling it a window blind and instead start calling it a backdrop. Simply hang this up behind your subjects and start shooting with it.

The Results and Things to Consider

*Click on the image to fit it to your screen*

For me personally, I find the best results with using this backdrop when it’s slightly darker and out of focus behind the subject.

I tend to position the model a few feet away from it and shoot at f2.8 to really ensure that the background is complete out of focus.

I also very rarely light it separately. Any light that falls onto the background is just residual light from the either the key light or fill light. This way, the background stays quite dark and isn’t distracting the viewer away from the subject. Remember that your backdrop is actual fairly ‘busy’ visually and with a fair amount of detail. This can easily overwhelm a viewer so keeping it dark and out of focus ensures that it compliments and doesn’t dominate the scene.

One of the other key features of this window blind backdrop idea is how it’s stored, transported and hung. The blind is heavy due to it being a blackout blind, plus you’ve added a layer of paint to it. As a result this thing wants to hang very flat. It also rolls up very easily and wont buckle or warp like any paper backdrop will do. On top of all that, window blinds come in handy plastic boxes so once you’re done shooting with it, simply roll it up and slide it back into its box to store it away. This helps keep any loose chalk off of anything and it also protects it from damage whilst you’re not using it.

There really isn’t anything not to like about this cheap and easy to make DIY backdrop

Click on any of the above images to enlarge them

An easy setup to play with is to position the model a few feet from the backdrop, then place a key light with enough power to spill onto the background behind the subject. Add a gelled fill light and hard hair light behind and you’re done.

Flagrant self promotion at the end of this article ;) Check out my latest on-location workshop below.

THANK YOU

Thanks as always for checking out my article and spending a little bit of your day with me here. If you have any questions about the setup or the items used, feel free to let me know in the comments below. And if you give this DIY backdrop a go, definitely let me know as I’d love to see your shots.

More Free Tips & Techniques

If you’re after more tips and tricks on studio lighting then don’t forget to check out my monthly newsletter and my free 10 page pdf on studio lighting techniques. If you’re interested then follow the link below and download it immediately.

Did you receive my FREE 10 page PDF on Studio Lighting Tips yet?

Once a month I’ll send you a newsletter of at least four photo related tips and tricks (one for each week I post them on here if you miss them) plus I’ll also keep you apprised of my new workshop dates as well.

**Sign up now and you’ll get yourself a FREE 10 PAGE PDF of my all time ‘Top 10 Photography Tips and Techniques’!**

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP - PLUS FREE 10 PAGE TECHNIQUES PDF

banner offer text 2000px video tuts combined.jpg

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 006

Foreword

"Stay Inspired" is a weekly post on my Facebook Page where I share the work of an inspirational photographer or artist every Thursday. I've been doing this every week since 2013 so there is now a vast number of outstanding creatives from all genres and disciplines that we've looked at over the years. In fact, I’ve been sharing these for so long now that even I have forgotten some of these great artists I share at the beginning. Because so many of these have been lost to time, I thought why don't I try and collate them all into one place for not only myself, but for you as well.

This is the sixth compilation, so if you missed the previous ones and are interested in an inspiration overload, here’s the links to them;

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 001

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 002

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 003

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 004

Stay Inspired - Inspirational work from 10 Photographers and Artists 005

These new posts will look at a collection of 10 artists each and they should prove to be an excellent resource for not only inspiration but motivation as well. With each artist shared, I will include a short overview of their work including things to consider and look at whilst on their portfolio.

Please bear in mind that these opinions are mine and as such are clearly very subjective. I could just share a link but I believe a more personal point of view of another artists’ work may be of more value to you over simply stating their name and age for example. But this does mean you may not always agree with me and I would encourage that. Art is subjective and like music, the best art does not appeal to everybody.

Inspirational Work from 10 Photographers and Artists 006

Nicolas Guérin is typically a portrait shooter that spends most of his time shooting cinema legends in his Montreuil studio but although there is nothing wrong with his portrait work, it is not what interested me about his work.

On his site you'll see a section called 'Polaroid Archives', in here he showcases large format Polaroids, predominantly of nudes but with a little fashion too. What struck me was the fact that nearly all of these are showcased using a technique called 'emulsion lifting'. This is a technique I have been experimenting with myself and I will certainly be sharing the process and the results once I have more 'favourable' final products. The technique involves separating the very emulsion (which is ridiculously delicate in my opinion) and transferring it to another substrate. This could be anything from wood, metal or paper but it looks like Guérin is transferring his to heavy art paper giving his images that lovely texture and timeless feel.

Nicolas Guérin

Once again we go back to yet another awesome photographer from Russia. Those guys seem to get bored pretty quickly because Alexey Dovgulya loves to mix things up with his style.

Alexey has a very clean style for his commercial work with the likes of Rolls Royce, but in his 'Creative,Fashion, Beauty' section he certainly experiments with some truly gorgeous and creative techniques including some brilliant long exposure imagery.
Alexey quotes all the workshops he's attended on his about page, and one that sticks out is the Oleg Ti workshop. Oleg Ti is renowned for his long exposure techniques and a photographer that I have showcased here previously for that very reason. It would seem that his teachings have certainly left an impact on Alexey's work though as he's got some excellent examples of it and well worth checking out if you're ready for some inspiration to get experimenting with your photography again.

Big thanks to Berni Palumbo from Berni Palumbo Photography for this weeks showcase photographer.

Alexey Dovgulya

Javier Vallhonrat was born in Madrid in 1953 and has an eclectic background of education. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Psychology, MA in Integrative Humanistic Psychotherapy and a Gestalt Psychotherapist (those looking for deeper reading on the subject of semiotics and how we ‘create’ should look at Gestalt further).

Vallhonrat has a strong style with colour and although his work is very colourful, his recent images all fall under the same muted tones and are not overly saturated. To me this look helps to keep his imagery relatable and he hasn't fallen for the 'hyper real' saturation that is so poplar at the moment by other photographers.
Whilst you're there, take the time to visit his 'beauty' section, this to me is what I really love. In here he has some older works from the 90's and it’s within these projects that we see some phenomenal film photography.
Ironically it was way back then that he flirted with heavy saturation and it's here where we see some of the true qualities of film that in my opinion are still not yet fully realised with modern digital cameras.

Note: Want to see how a photographic style can change? Click on his ‘Overview’ page when you’re here to see what Javier is working on now :O !

Javier Vallhonrat

Lovin' it! Big thanks to Rebecca Lewis from Primary Talent International for showing this guys work to me. Head on over to Brian Ziff's website to check out his fantastic imagery. There's a huge gamut of styles being shown here, so if you don't find something you like when you arrive, you can poke you're eyes out as they're clearly broken!

Apart from the gorgeous lighting and subtle toning there’s also some slightly heavier digital manipulation going on which I'm not usually a fan of, but Brian keeps it minimal and complimentary over being the focal point. In fact there is actually some pretty cool digi techniques being used that I might have to visit myself.

Brian Ziff

As we continue to celebrate 'instant' film photography in this collection, I thought it only fitting to share surely one of the more well known fans of the craft, Emily Soto.

Emily is currently based out of New York and has garnered a colossal following of devoted fans who clearly love her playful and emotive style.

Although I love Emily's more commercial work it's still the amazing 'instant' imagery that drew me to her photography as the timeless feel of her shoots is only heightened by the faded and bleached look her polaroid camera captures.
Emily also has the rather enviable position of being 'supported' by the Impossible Project instant film and as a result she even gets the opportunity to shoot whole campaigns using their ever growing line of (expensive) film and products. Head on over to her site to check out the results.

Many thanks indeed to Zuzia Zawada for showing her work to me as its apparent I've clearly been missing out thus far.

Emily Soto

I'm continually fascinated by modern photography's persistent path away from art and creativity. I personally feel this is because most modern day photographers are actually not artists themselves, but simply just photographers. It’s obviously open for debate as to whether this is in fact a bad thing, but either way it's still nice to come across an 'artists' photography portfolio every once in a while.

Sergio Kurhajec displays a very unique ability to actually see art in everything. For example I went through his 'beauty' and ‘women' portfolios and I was struck with how many of the shots of simple beauty I would have missed myself had they been presented to me.
He displays a lot of images that he would not have planned to take, in fact he couldn't of planned them even if he'd wanted to, they are pure expressions of light and form unique only to that moment. If that’s not art then I’m not sure what is.

Take a look to see what I mean and see if you would have spotted those frames yourself. Also pay close attention his juxtaposition of his presentation, there's always two shots on screen and it’s interesting to see how they work to compliment one another.

Edit: In 2018 Sergio Kurhajec ‘updated’ his website. As a result nearly all of his older personal imagery that was (and in my personal opinion) more spontaneous and genuine has now been removed. Everybody’s style adapts and changes overtime so I understand the change but just be mindful that his current site (2019) is very commercial and clinical. Please feel free to visit some of his older work elsewhere on the internet to see what I was originally referring to. I did find a mini collection of some his older pieces from an old Designer Collective feature back in 2012. Take a look here

Sergio Kurhajec

New York based Michael David Adams is clearly a very talented fashion photographer but its his underwater photography that is truly amazing.

The link here takes you straight to his 'Underwater' section so head on over and check them out.

Has anybody else done any underwater shoots? I know I was on an underwater shoot with Wayne Kahn many years ago and there was a million and one 'additional' things to think about. From the water density being higher than air (your lens appears to magnify everything) to the loss of red wavelengths making all your shots blue or desaturated at best. So bearing all this in mind Michael's shots are even more impressive to me.

Big thanks to Wayne Kahn Photography for sharing these absolutely amazingly colourful photographs with me.

Edit 2019: As proof that a style grows whether you like it or not; since I shared this site a couple of years ago, Mike now has a dedicated site to showcase just his unwatered work. It looks like a lot of big commercial clients have loved what they’ve seen too. The links in this post have now been updated to take you direct to that site.

Michael David Adams

First and foremost; Karine and Oliver take some fantastically stark, passionate, energetic and above all characteristic images. Dig a little deeper though and have a look at the roots of this visual interpretation and you will see that Karine and Oliver are one and the same, not just a collaboration but a devoted partnership of love behind the lens.

The two have been working under the simple title of KO for a couple of years now but the collaboration is a slightly different one to what you might expect. Photographic partnerships of love are not unheard of, but KO don't have defined roles, in fact they appear to shoot simultaneously side by side. Its impossible to know from their portfolio who has shot what and thus stripping their creative individuality… but does this matter?
Is this partnership of love behind the lens the idealised version of collaboration, a catalyst for motivation and camaraderie, or would this stripping of creative individuality be your idea of counter productive and just one collaboration too far? I know where I stand on this but take a look at KO's work and let me know how you feel about it.

Edit 2019: It would appear that in a recent update, KO has decided to personalise their image a little more by referring to their partnership more as Karine and Oliver over simply KO.

Karine and Oliver

So this is actually the guy that ‘covertly’ inspired me a lot in my more recent projects and experiments.

I say covertly because I wasn't aware of his name or even the fact that I was inspired by multiple projects of his and still not knowing they were done by the same photographer.

Mikael Jansson is quite literally a legend in the photographic world and has had more books published and run more international exhibitions than I actually thought possible. In fact if the guy was producing any more visual stimuli he'd be on the verge of propaganda.
But with all that work out there, he still retains an incredibly strong style and it's rare that I see somebody so adept at mastering crushingly strong, hard light like he does.
Mikael has a way of adding so much to an image but still allows the subject to shine through. Think about how many photographers you know who could shoot literally anybody in front of them, not models, not celebrities, no makeup, no nothing and still take an compelling and arresting shot of them. I'm guessing your list isn't long, but Mikael Jansson should be on it.
Mikael worked with master photographer Avedon in the late 80's and he credits him for his style today. It's certainly clear to see the effect Avedon had on his work and it's particularly apparent in Mikael's black and white work.
So which shots influenced me? Well you may well remember the controversy over the H&M swimwear collection a few years back, it was those deep dark colours with seemingly impossible saturation that influenced some of my colour work. The following year he did another campaign with H&M, this time it was lingerie but the soft 'shoot through' style and movement was something that certainly stood out to me for a long time.
I know it’s a long one tonight and probably nobody but my mum will have made it this far, but definitely take the time to go through Mikael's site, there is a vast amount of work in there and it damn near spans the generations.

Mikael Jansson

We see 'good' photographers all the time and we are bombarded by ‘good’ images all day every day. This is especially apparent for the creatives among us, as we make a habit of surrounding ourselves with inspiration and the longer we do this the harder it is for a truly great image or a truly great photographer to stand out.

Today was one of those days where I saw some truly great images and to look at Ivor Paanakker's work is to reset the bar once again of what it means to take truly 'great' photographs.
I love Ivor's work for many reasons, but it's rare to find a photographer that really blurs the line between fashion and art in this way.
Paanakker's fashion images are very grandiose and picturesque and he creates a sense of scale by treating his outstanding locations as an equal character in his shots alongside his models. Something that has to be tricky to pull off when your models are as stunning as this.
Although his fashion work is amazing it’s his nude work that really stands out to me. We see a lot of nude photographers emerging these days, but all to often I see them rely on the models beauty alone and actually add very little of themselves.
Ivor's nude work is an amazing example of what can be achieved when you combine stunning beauty and outstanding photographic talent.

Ivor Paanakker

Closing Comments

As with all of my posts, I welcome your comments and thoughts on the artists I've shared here today. But although all of the photographers and creatives I've mentioned above come from my own personal tastes and appreciations, I still feel they are all incredibly varied, which ultimately means there will be at least one persons work here that you'll love.

Granted we've really only looked at 'people' photographers including, portraits, fashion and editorial shooters with none of the other photographic genres being covered, but it's still incredible to me as to how varied this single discipline can be.

I think one of the core things I want you to take away from this series is how another person interprets their subject into a photograph.

Sure you can simply reverse engineer the lighting or copy a pose of an image, but I hope you take away a lot more than simply the mechanics of a photograph.

Look at their style and see how that is impacting their work for the better. Look for similarities in pose, expression, subject, lighting, theme and colour. All of these things play a role in any image and by appreciating that in others work we can be better equipped to express it into our own images.

More Free Tips & Techniques

Thanks as always for checking out my articles. I know your time is precious and there’s almost an infinite amount of other things you could have done with the last 15 minutes of your life, so I really do appreciate you checking this out :)

Did you receive my FREE 10 page PDF on Studio Lighting Tips yet?

**Sign up now and you’ll get yourself a FREE 10 PAGE PDF of my all time ‘Top 10 Photography Tips and Techniques’!**

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP - PLUS FREE 10 PAGE TECHNIQUES PDF

Optical Snoot Review

Technique Tuesday optical snoot 2020 UPDATED.jpg

When photographers use terms like ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ light, it’s actually incredibly vague. You would rarely describe your meal as simply a ‘meat’ dish, so when a photographer says they are using hard light in a portrait, it’s just as open to interpretation as your mystery-meat.

Hard light can be anything from strong sunlight, to snoots, grids or even simple barn doors in a studio. But even with all that, none come close to the true crisp, brilliantly contrasty light of ‘Optical Snoots’.

What is an Optical Snoot?

Optical Snoots are hard-light modifiers and they have seen a variety of iterations over the years, but they’re still primarily used in the world of theatre more than stills photography. Their main function is to create a very strong, directional light source and as a result, the light they produce is extremely contrasty and razor sharp shadows are a clear indication of when a modifier like this is being used.

Image from SecondWindStaging.com - Theatre lighting has used this very hard light for years, but we rarely see it in todays photography. In the shot above, you can see how crisp the edge of the lighting is. — *Image from SecondWindStaging.com -* Theatre lighting has used this very hard light for years, but we rarely see it in todays photography. In the shot above, you can see how crisp the edge of the lighting is.

Bowens made the ‘Universal Spot Attachment’ for themselves and the ‘Spot’ for Profoto - I’ll let you guess the price difference between these!!! — Bowens made the ‘Universal Spot Attachment’ for themselves and the ‘Spot’ for Profoto - *I’ll let you guess the price difference between these!!!*

Until recently, photographers who use studio strobes to light their images have had very little choice when it comes to hard light modifiers like this.

I’ve personally had what is called a ‘Universal Spot Attachment’ for many years and that was made by the sadly now defunct Bowens. They also made the exact same modifier for Profoto but simply swopped out the S-fit lighting attachment on the base. But what all of these modifiers have in common, is their ability to very precisely control the light to exactly where you want it. Think of the light being produced by a softbox and how that spreads very soft light over a huge are, these spot-type modifiers are the polar opposite of that.

These spot modifiers have employed a variety of methods to precisely control the light in the past, but many of the newer spots will control this light via a lens at the front and that will allow the modifier to focus the light into a spot. It’s with this lens and the complete control of the light that this allows where the magic of this product really comes to life.

There are hard-light modifiers, and then there are HARD-LIGHT modifiers

If you ask most photographers to take a hard light portrait, they'll likely reach for the regular snoot, grid or simple open dish to modify their light. Although they are technically not wrong to do this, there are alternatives that will really make that light VERY hard indeed.

Take a look at the two shots below to see what I’m referring to. Remember you’re looking at the shadows.

Click to enlarge: The above shot taken with a bare 65 degree dish. — *Click to enlarge:* The above shot taken with a bare 65 degree dish.

Click to enlarge: The above shot taken with a Universal Spot attachment. — *Click to enlarge:* The above shot taken with a Universal Spot attachment.

Still not sure what I’m banging on about?!

Look again and this time compare the shadows and how they transition between light and dark.

Click to enlarge: Images above displaying some very different looking hard light shadows — *Click to enlarge:* Images above displaying some very different looking hard light shadows

These are both hard light portraits, but it should be clear to see just how much stronger the shadows are via the Universal Spot Attachment.

So what about the Optical Snoot?

Now that we’ve established what came before, we can now look at what’s available today. As I mentioned previously, Bowens closed its doors for the last time a couple of years ago and many of their beloved modifiers like the Universal Spot and the Profoto Spot went away with them. As a result, finding modifiers for your studio strobes to offer a similar look is tricky. In fact, I was doing some research on these old modifiers for this article and I found the internet to be littered with photographers searching for them as well as similar alternative modifiers to fill their place. Here is where the Optical Snoot comes in.

A few weeks ago I was sent an Optical Snoot by Essential Photo who distribute the PixaPro products here in the U.K. They asked if I’d like to take a look at their new Optical Snoot and share my thoughts, so here we are.

I was actually very glad to receive this Optical Snoot, and although I’m very happy with my current U.S.A. (Universal Spot attachment), I struggle to recommend alternatives to it now that Bowens is no longer around. I regularly use the U.S.A. in my shoots and workshops but the question always comes up “where can I buy one of those?” Sadly the answer has always been “nowhere”. I’m hoping that answer is about to change.

The Optical Snoot actually uses your own lens to make it work.

What makes the Optical Snoot different?

The previous hard light modifiers have all come with built in lenses. The Optical Snoot is different in that it requires you to provide the lens for it to work. You buy the modifier and then you use one of your current lenses to attach to the front of it. I’ll discuss this further a little later on, but for now, just know that you’ll need a ‘spare’ lens to use in conjunction with this.

Of course there are a few ramifications to you supplying your own lens. Firstly, you need to have a lens that will work ‘well’ with the Optical Snoot and a lens that works ‘well’ will be one that is around 50mm and has an aperture of around f2.8.

The reason for this is that you need a lens wide enough to spread light over a decent sized area. There is no point attaching a 105mm lens to this and then only being able to illuminate someones nose in shot (unless this is what you’re after of course). Next up, the aperture of f2.8 or wider, will allow for far brighter shots to be taken with it. The act of firing a strobe through a lens consumes a lot of power via your strobe, so the larger the hole it has to pass through, the more flexibility it will give you when it comes to shooting.

The Best Optical Snoot for You

The optical snoot comes in a couple of different packages, so let me explain what you get so you’ll better understand what’s best for you.

The Base Model

The base package is simply the optical snoot on its own. To make the most out of this you’ll already need to have a strobe, a spare lens and some items you want to use in conjunction with it. Items like gobos for example (more on those in a minute).

The base Optical Snoot currently (July 2019) sells for around £199.

Just checked again in October 2020 and it’s still £199! Here’s the link and yes it is an affiliate link so I’ll get a free beer is use it to purchase this modifier Optical Snoot at Essential Photo

But wait! Before you go running off to purchase one, be sure to check you also choose the correct attachment for your specific strobe. At the moment, this Optical Strobe has versions for Bowens S-Type (Godox), Elinchrom / Interfit EX & EXD, Broncolor and Profoto.

Be sure to choose the correct attachment for your specific strobe.

But wait?! ….Again! You may also notice that this model states ‘EF Mount’. This means it will only take Canon lenses!!! Sadly that is the only model available, and if you’re a Canon shooter….great, but for the rest of us, we’ll have to think of a workaround. One solution would be to buy a cheap Canon lens for this purpose. This is actually far cheaper than you might think via sites like eBay and I saw a bunch of very fast second hand 50mm primes. For example the one pictured below was less than £30! Alternatively, we’ll need to buy a lens converter for one of your current lenses. Again, this is very cheap due to us not needing anything fancy and you can pick one up for less than a fiver.

To use the Optical Snoot as non-Canon shooter, you’ll either have to pick up a cheap lens, or a cheap lens converter. Ebay will be your best bet in my opinion.

-Update- October 2020

When I originally wrote this article in 2019, Essential Photo (the people who sell this Optical Snoot) didn’t have this option, but now you can actually buy a complete package that includes the Optical Snoot AND the lens together.

This is actually brilliant news for non-Canon shooters who may not have a spare Canon lens lying around. This new package that Essential Photo has includes a 50mm f1.8 lens which is about as perfect as it gets for this modifier. The wide 50mm gives you a good spread of light and the excellent f1.8 is going to be super-bright and let a lot of light through the modifier. If you don’t already have a Canon lens ready to go, this new product is an excellent option.

Here is a link to the product on the Essential Photo website and yes, it is an affiliate link so I will see some reward if you use this link to purchase this product. Optical Snoot PLUS 50mm f1.8 lens by Essential Photo

The Optical Snoot and Gobos Kit

The slightly more expensive package and the one that I received, comes with everything the base package comes with, but this time it also has a huge selection (16) of Gobos too.

Note: This gobo package also comes with some tiny gels that fit inside, as well as some stock imagery printed onto transparency film. But in all honesty, these are not really worth mentioning as they are very generic and are not worth using. These also may well come with the base package too.

UPDATE OCTOBER 2020: This version is currently on sale for £275! (down from £339 when this article was originally written in 2019)

Here’s an updated link and yes it’s an affiliate link so I will see some small form of tangible reward for you clicking and purchasing via the following link Optical Snoot & Gobo Kit from Essential Photo

Screenshot 2019-07-17 at 20.17.24 copy.jpg

Click to enlarge: The Gobo package comes with 16 laser cut metal gobos. — *Click to enlarge:* The Gobo package comes with 16 laser cut metal gobos.

I have to say that I’m impressed with the selection of gobos included. Most of them are actually very usable and not cheesy or ridiculous looking like I’ve seen in the past from other packages. But is it worth the extra £140? You’ll have to decide that for yourself, but let me just add that individual laser cut metal gobos are often around £40 each, so if you see a handful here that are interesting to you, this might be worth the extra money. Separate packs of these gobos are also available and I’ll list their links down below as well.

If you’re looking to buy alternate gobos, then a company I’ve used in the past for custom ones as well as a huge selection of stock designs is GoboPlus.

But is it any good?

Setting it up

Okay so finally we get to the part of the review the millennials have already skipped down to. Is it this modifier any good?

As always that is highly subjective and although some of you will love it, some of you will also invariably hate it too. So let’s look at what it exactly does and explore how it can be used.

First up; as a Nikon shooter I had to attach a Nikon to Canon lens converter to the Optical Snoot, then attach my spare lens to that to complete the unit.

Note: I was using an old Nikon f1.4 50mm lens with mine for the entirety of this review.

Once all that is in place, it’s now time to attach it to my strobe and then start to insert the desired gobo via the holder.

The gobo you choose is entirely up to you and regardless of what you decide upon, it can simply and easily be switched out at any time via the slot on the side of the Optical Snoot.

The Shoot

Once everything is set up and in place, getting the Optical Snoot working is dead easy and you simply point it in the direction you want… and fire.

The results below are of a single light with the ‘Boxed’ gobo in place in the Optical Snoot and it looks like this…

Click to enlarge: Image of the Optical Snoot and ‘Boxed’ gobo only. — *Click to enlarge:* Image of the Optical Snoot and ‘Boxed’ gobo only.

As you can see from the image above, the lighting is VERY harsh with the highlights being very bright and shadows being very dark. This is the very contrasty and very hard light I was referring to earlier.

The resulting light is clearly very contrasty, but some of you may love this effect. In fact I heard the other day that there are even some people out there that still shoot in black and white ;) , this look would likely be great for that monochromatic style. But for me, this lighting is a little tricky to work with, especially where portraits are involved. So now let’s add another light and brighten up some of those very dark shadows.

Click to enlarge: Image of the Optical Snoot and ‘Boxed’ gobo plus an additional soft light to fill the shadows. — *Click to enlarge:* Image of the Optical Snoot and ‘Boxed’ gobo plus an additional soft light to fill the shadows.

I think we can all agree that the above images are very different to the originals I took, but all we’ve done here is to add a large softbox to the set just so we can fill in some of those hard shadows with additional light. What is very important to remember here is that this is still hard light, all we have done is add light to the shadows, but this doesn’t affect the hardness of the light in any way and the transition from light to dark is still very acute.

Now let’s switch up the gobo and try another few shots with the exact same lighting.

These images were all shot with the ‘Louvre’ gobo in place.

The above shots were exactly the same setup, but this time I used the ‘Louvre’ gobo instead.

Adding some colour

Of course no good photoshoot is complete unless you add some colour to it. So how can we make this setup a little more creative?

This time around I decided to test out one of the foliage gobos to break up that geometric pattern a little. For the next test I tried the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo in the Optical Snoot.

Click to enlarge: This shot was with the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo light only. — *Click to enlarge:* This shot was with the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo light only.

To begin with I turned off the big softbox fill light and just took a shot with the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo light only. That shot can be seen above and we can immediately see that the very dark shadows are now back.

Next up though, I added a pink coloured gel to my big softbox and turned it back on to take some more shots.

Click to enlarge: Image with the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo in place as well as colour gelled fill. — *Click to enlarge:* Image with the ‘Dense Palm’ gobo in place as well as colour gelled fill.

Click to enlarge: This setup is the same as the previous one accept this time we’ve added a coloured gel to the softbox fill light. — *Click to enlarge:* This setup is the same as the previous one accept this time we’ve added a coloured gel to the softbox fill light.

Conclusions

As usual, I think the images will do the talking for you. I’ve provided a bunch of shots here and I played with a few different ideas whilst using the same Optical Snoot modifier to show you some of its possibilities. As a result, I think you’ll either love the effect or you wont.

Personally though; I love this modifier.

I wont use it on every shoot, but when I do use it, this Optical Snoot will be taking centre stage over the final product. This is not a ‘comfort-blanket’ modifier that will be your ‘go-to’ lighting attachment when you’re tired or on auto pilot. This is not an Octa 90 or beauty dish modifier that is easy enough for your mum to use either. The Optical Snoot provides a VERY specific look and that look is incredibly unforgiving. If you choose to get one, you will be frustrated at first and that’s okay. The shadows it casts are impossibly hard and a constant watch on your subjects position and pose is crucial as the gap between ‘incredibly captivating’ and ‘utterly useless’ shots is minuscule.

If the softbox is the studio photographers training wheels, consider the Optical Snoot as the monocycle.

But if you do decide to persevere with this lighting attachment then I believe you will love the very unique results it can provide you.

Closing Comments

Some points to bear in mind before you go.

You need to provide your own lens - This Optical Snoot only supports Canon EF mount lenses so you’ll need a workaround in the form of either a cheap secondhand Canon lens or a cheap lens converter for your own lenses.
One benefit of using your own lens is the ability to throw light over a wider area with wider angle lenses. The longest lens I’d recommend using with this Optical Snoot is 50mm. Ideally though a 28mm or 35mm would give you more versatility.
The aperture of your lens on the Optical Snoot is crucial. The wider the aperture of your lens, the more light the Optical Snoot will let through. This means you wont have to use higher ISOs so I’d recommend a lens that is at least f2.8.
If you decide not to purchase the Gobo Kit Optical Snoot package, then just remember that you’ll need your own gobos to shine these patterns across your scene.
If the strobe you use has a tungsten modelling bulb, please bear in mind that this metal and glass modifier will get VERY hot. It’s this reason why most gobos are metal, so be wary of what you place in the Optical Snoot to cast shadows.

Big thanks to our model on the day Tanja Borissova

3D Studio design software used - Set.a.Light 3D V.2

Links

All of the links to the relevant optical snoots and gobos are listed below and they will take you to the Essential Photo website.

Please note that as an affiliate, I will receive a small commission on any purchase you make via these links so please consider using them.

Screenshot 2020-09-30 at 17.23.12 copy.jpg

Screenshot 2019-07-19 at 17.35.30 copy.jpg

Not a strobe shooter? Only have a Speedlight?

There are options available to you as well. The product is called a Light Blaster and it’s a similar system in that it involves you to provide your own lens as well.

Light Blaster

JHP definitive colour pack packaging CGFLAT pan.jpg

Coloured Gels

It should be no surprise to you by now, but the coloured gels used in this shoot were from my own gel packs. You can find more info on them here:

Jake Hicks Photography - Colour Gel Packs

THANK YOU

Thanks as always for checking out my article and spending a little bit of your day with me here. I know this one was another monster article and I tried to cover everything, but if you have any questions about the setup or the items used, feel free to let me know in the comments below. And if you give this Optical Snoot a go, definitely let me know as I’d love to see your shots.

More Free Tips & Techniques

Did you receive my FREE 10 page PDF on Studio Lighting Tips yet?

**Sign up now and you’ll get yourself a FREE 10 PAGE PDF of my all time ‘Top 10 Photography Tips and Techniques’!**

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP - PLUS FREE 10 PAGE TECHNIQUES PDF

Imitating Hazy Backgrounds with Diffusion Gels

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

Shooting in a studio has its advantages. But although being warm, dry and convenient are greatly appreciated, shooting between the same four walls can get a little boring if you’re constantly using them as backgrounds for your shots.

Sure you could get some coloured paper setup, you could even buy a fancy canvas sheet with paint splashes on it, and for the really adventurous, you could even use some coloured lights behind your subject. But what happens when you're finally bored of all that? Time to get a little more creative with your studio backgrounds.

Having a sense of depth to your shots is very easy to achieve on location. Simply place your subject in the foreground and shoot at a wide aperture to throw all of the detail behind them out of focus. This visually asks the viewer to question what’s… — Having a sense of depth to your shots is very easy to achieve on location. Simply place your subject in the foreground and shoot at a wide aperture to throw all of the detail behind them out of focus. This visually asks the viewer to question what’s back there and draws them in to the shot.

Visual Depth on Location - Depth of Field

Recently I wanted to find a way to add a sense of depth to my studio backgrounds. I didn’t want my shot to just be two visual layers of model and background, I wanted to somehow make my backgrounds feel like they went beyond what we can initially see.

One way we ordinarily do this is with depth of field on location. For example we set the subject up in the foreground and ensure there are elements behind them that we can throw out of focus with our aperture choice. We do this instinctively now, but it’s a visual trick that the viewer engages with as they are being asked to consider what the blurry elements behind the subject are. This sense of intrigue simply wouldn’t happen if everything was in focus.

Unfortunately in a studio, this deep background shot isn’t possible. We have a big empty space and it simply isn’t very interesting to have that empty space behind the subject and no matter how out of focus it is, it’s never going to get the viewer to wonder what’s back there.

Forced Depth - Haze and Smoke

But what it we’re shooting in small spaces, how do we create that sense of depth to the background where there is none?

One trick to add exaggerated depth or ‘forced depth’ to a shot in smaller areas like a studio, is to add smoke or mist to the scene. This is yet another visual trick that is employed far more than you think and smoke, mist or artificial atmosphere is used in practically every TV show or movie you’ve seen in recent years. For example; I’m currently watching Gotham on Netflix and that show has haze in EVERY scene!

If you’re shooting in tight spaces where there is little depth, or even in big open spaces where there is actually no elements to be seen in the background, mist can be added to trick the eye into thinking there is more going on in the scene than there really is. Again, our eyes are tricked into wanting to know more about what’s going in the hazy areas, and this in turn draws us into the scene or shot. On set this technique is often referred to as ‘voluminous lighting’ too.

Adding smoke or mist to a scene is a very simple, yet highly effective trick to add a sense of depth to a shot. This image here has no real depth to speak of as the model is very close to a simple background. The mist helps to make this image feel m… — Adding smoke or mist to a scene is a very simple, yet highly effective trick to add a sense of depth to a shot. This image here has no real depth to speak of as the model is very close to a simple background. The mist helps to make this image feel more engaging as areas of the shot are obscured or less obvious and we are drawn in because of the more ‘voluminous lighting’ we see here.

Mist and haze are great tricks to use, but they do have a certain downside and that’s that they’re very hard to control. We can’t simply add mist to the background and not the foreground in a small space like a studio, it will most likely float into the foreground and around our subject as well. As a result our subject will lack a lot of contrast. Look at the shot above again and you’ll see that the subject is actually shrouded in grey. This doesn’t look out of place, but it’s not always a desired effect on the subject or styling.

Imitating Mist

So how do we create a sense of depth with our background in a small space and without pumping the room full of smoke so that our subject is obscured? It’s with this problem in mind that I came up with a possible solution.

What if I could imitate the look of dense mist behind my subject, and then place simple objects behind that so they appear to drop off into this artificial mist extremely quickly?

This would allow for my subject to remain crisp and unaffected by any supplemental artificial atmosphere and my backgrounds would have a visual depth to them that would draw the viewer in.

My test was for a background so I didn’t need a human subject to test the diffusion gels on. Instead, I ordered a big fake plant as this had a lot of depth to it already thanks to the leaves coming out at all angles.

The Diffusion Gel Test - The Plant

If we look at the properties of mist from a photography standpoint, it simply diffuses the light as it passes through it. Think of clouds on a cloudy day. The light appears far larger and is scattered amongst the atmosphere, and mist/haze/smoke is doing the same thing on set.

But if I wanted to created this softer mist-like look behind my subject, I’d have to explore other alternatives beyond bringing a cloud indoors.

Thankfully in our photographer tool box we have other ways of creating this heavily diffused light look and one of them is via diffusion gels. These are sheets of gels that are doing a similar thing to the diffusion cover on the front of your softbox and they will very effectively scatter the light that passes through them. Softboxes actually have a very heavy amount of diffusion on them though, whereas the diffusion gels come in a vast number of densities so I should be able to find the perfect diffused background, but which diffusion gel is the best one for what I was after?

Here is where I had to test out my idea to find out which diffusion gel would do what I wanted. After all, I wasn’t strictly using the diffusion gel for its intended purpose.

Thankfully I knew this effect would be in the background of the shot so I didn’t actually need to test these diffusion gels with a model. Instead I simply ordered a big fake plant to sit behind my gels. I felt this fake plant would be perfect as it naturally has a little depth to it thanks to the leaves coming out in all directions.

The Diffusion Gel Test - The Diffusion Gels

Once I had my plant, it was time to test the diffusion gels. For the diffusion gels I reached out to LEE Filters who seemed to have the widest selection of diffusion solutions I’ve ever seen. They also split their diffusions up between regular ‘diffusion’, ‘frosts’, ‘cloths’ and ‘spuns’. To be fair, all this choice can be a little daunting when you’re trying to find what you want. Thankfully though, LEE has a very cool image preview and comparison window on their site so you can see exactly how each diffusion will react compared to one another.

Here’s a link to the LEE Filters diffusion comparator if you want to check it out for yourself LEE Diffusion Comparator

The LEE Filters website has diffusion comparator where you can see the effect of each of the diffusion gels side by side.

I went through their selection and ordered 10 or so diffusion gels that I thought might be good for my particular test and then got to work setting up my scene.

The resulting images of my ‘plant behind diffusion gel’ test aren’t particularly exciting, but I thought I’d share them as a point of reference for you guys to see what I was after and what I felt wasn’t working.

From the images above, you should be able to see that most of the diffusion gels are actually pretty dense and too opaque for me to get the effect I was after. But there was a couple of contenders that looked very promising. The 404 one looked good but it wasn’t giving off a very strong ‘mist’ vibe that I was looking for. Ultimately I actually thought the 255 was perfect for what I was trying to achieve and it had the best mix of transparency and depth I was after.

The Diffusion Gel Test - The Lighting

Once I had my particular diffusion gel figured out, I now wanted to test out some lighting options with it. Again, the shots below aren’t necessarily very exciting, but it shows me testing a variety of lighting options and colour gel looks that could be a possibility. This process helps me build up a mental picture of exactly how this gel will react in any given situation.

During the testing process I’m in a very controlled environment and I have no time constraints or model to deal with, so the more knowledge I acquire about this new idea here the better.

After trying a multitude of ideas I eventually decided that a clean white light may actually be the best solution here. I really did love the eerie coloured mist look with shafts of light coming through the leaves, but ultimately I felt that this may be a bit heavy for a clean fashion look. But again, this is great knowledge for another potential project and I’d love to incorporate these ideas in another area in a future shoot.

No time spent behind the lens is ever wasted.

Shoot Day

With the background details setup and understood, all that was left was to light the subject and get both the model and background working together visually in the shot.

Let’s take a look at the setup I used on the day.

We had a large softbox at the back with the plant and then the diffusion gel in front of that. Next we got the model to stand in front of the diffusion gel and then placed the lights around her. We had two small strip boxes with grids behind pointed back and a 22” beauty dish key with a small gelled softbox fill.

The 255 LEE diffusion gel was suspended in front of the plant with a C-stand and the softbox was positioned behind that.

Here’s a shot of what the plant looks like on its own through the diffusion gel. If you didn’t already know that was a diffusion gel, you might actually think it was mist.

The shoot itself was actually pretty easy as I’d tested the trickiest part already. Using the diffusion gels to make the plant look like it was shrouded in mist behind the subject was the potential tripping point, but it looked surprisingly effective with very little tweaking required. Plus having the light coming through the diffusion from behind meant I could get away with the model being surprisingly close to the gel with no shadows.

Here’s some of the resulting images from the shoot.

Click on the above images to enlarge them

Last Minute Tweaks on the Day - Low Contrast Filter

There was one change I made during the initial stages of this shoot and that was to add a low contrast filter to my lens. The reason for this was that the background actually looked too realistic with its haze effect and in contrast to that, the model in the foreground was almost too clear and perfect by comparison. This caused a visual dissonance that felt jarring to me. By adding a low contrast filter to my lens I was able to soften some of the more contrasting elements of the model, as a result the foreground and background elements of the shot now seemed to come together a little more with it in place.

Screenshot 2019-07-04 at 17.12.09 900.jpg

In my opinion the low contrast filter really ties this shot together and it’s a lens filter I’ve been using a lot for this reason recently. I’d love to show you a multitude of examples images of my uses of the low contrast filter for studio shooters…. but that’s an article for another day ;)

Closing Comments

Overall I was incredibly pleased with these shots and the effect I’d achieved in a small studio space. The plant behind the model really did look like it was shrouded in mist or fog and I believe it does add an element of depth and visual interest without being overly distracting.

I think I’ve explained my thought process and execution fairly comprehensively, but there are a few things I’d like to hammer-home.

Always be looking to come up with new ways of making your studio shots more engaging. With the proper motivation, there should be no reason to ever get bored of the backgrounds in a studio.
Dissect light and redeploy its properties for your own benefit. Don’t be too hasty to dismiss one form of outside lighting as impossible for inside lighting. Light has very consistent and predictable properties and by taking those particular properties and using them indoors you can produce striking results. From stark, bright sunlight to hazy overcast light, all of which are very possible indoors with the right knowledge.
Test, test, test. Don’t be fooled by what the internet tells you, great results take time and experience and the only way to get that experience is to test new ideas. I could have purchased a single diffusion gel and set about doing my shoot, but I guarantee the results on shoot day would have been awful as a result. I took the time the test a bunch of diffusion gels to find the perfect one for the shoot and I believe that was time well spent. Can you bill that test time to the client? Rarely, but a reshoot may cost you more as a result of not doing it.
I think as studio shooters we can often be guilty of lighting our subject and background separately. Although I believe this is a good discipline to consider, always be mindful of tying them back together in camera. In this shoot I initially got the beautiful hazy background I wanted, but the model was stark and crisp in comparison. As a result she felt ‘stuck-on’ afterwards so I wanted a way to tie the foreground and background back together. In this instance the low contrast filter did the job but other elements like colours or toning can also do this. Light them separately, but don’t forget the bigger picture.

Model: Miss Alexiss

Products used:

LEE Diffusion Filters

JHP Coloured Gels

LEE Low Contrast Filters

Fake plants and leaves that can be used in your photos can be found anywhere, but here’s a link to a list of them on my Amazon associates page here - Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

3D Studio design software used - Set.a.Light 3D V.2

THANK YOU

Thanks as always for checking out this article and spending a little bit of your day with me here. If you have any questions about the setup or the items used, feel free to let me know in the comments below. And if you give this setup a go, definitely let me know, I’d love to see your shots.

More Free Tips & Techniques

Did you receive my FREE 10 page PDF on Studio Lighting Tips yet?

**Sign up now and you’ll get yourself a FREE 10 PAGE PDF of my all time ‘Top 10 Photography Tips and Techniques’!**

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP - PLUS FREE 10 PAGE TECHNIQUES PDF

Lensbaby Omni Review

Lensbaby has become a bit of a household name in recent years and for those of us searching for a more unique look to our images, Lensbaby has been there to provide a whole host of creative solutions. Their latest product is no different, but this time around they aren’t producing a new lens, but instead a ‘creative filter system’ called the Omni.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on one of these Omni’s prior to launch and I also had chance to test it out on a couple of portrait shoots recently so I thought I would share my thoughts on it here.

Who is Lensbaby?

If you’re unfamiliar with Lensbaby then they are predominantly known for their creative lens solutions. These lenses, now more colloquially and affectionately referred to as ‘art’ lenses, offer a different perspective for photographers looking for something outside of the norm. Their lenses range from the more aggressive lens distortions like the ‘Edge’ that creates a tilt-shift look, to the more subtle ‘Velvet’ lens that simply softens the edge of frame, creating a very reminiscent look of the bygone era of photography.

I’ve personally used Lensbaby lenses for many years and long before they ever reached out to me to get my feedback on some of their new products.

But Lensbaby are known for making products that ‘bake’ the visual effect into the actual shot at the point of capture. This style of creativity can scare some younger photographers who rely on the comfort of the ‘undo’ command in Photoshop, but for those willing to embrace a creative solution whilst actually taking a photograph with a camera, love what Lensbaby produce.

The Omni….is not a lens

Like I mentioned, Lensbaby are known for their lenses so I think they are VERY keen to make it clear that their latest product is NOT a lens. Their marketing quote the Omni as a ‘creative filter system’ and although that’s a fairly accurate description, let’s break down what that actually looks like.

The Omni is made up of multiple parts, but the key is the metal disc that screws directly to the front of your current lens via the lens filter thread all lenses have.

You then attach sliding magnets to that disc and to them you attach the actual ‘filters’.

It’s a very simple system but one that works perfectly.

What’s in the Omni Box?

When you receive your Omni, this is what’s in the box.

Click on the images above to enlarge them

Inside the box will be some instructions and two grey fabric pouches. In the larger one will be the metal disc, magnet sliders and filters, and in the other will be a selection of step up/down rings for other sized lenses plus a grip to remove and attach them. I’ll talk more about these step rings later.

Omni Setup

As I mentioned, it’s super-simple. Take the metal plate (affix the appropriate step ring if you need it), ensure the magnet sliders are already attached and then screw it to your lens via the lens filter thread. Once it’s on you’re then free to attach the filters directly or via the additional ‘stalks’ to give you more creative options.

**Okay, but what the hell are these ‘filters’ you keep mentioning?!**

So now we know how it works, what does it actually do? Well the purpose of the Omni is to hold a variety of filters in front of your lens so that they appear in shot when you take the picture. So what are the filters? Well the base Omni pack comes with three filters; the Crystal Seahorse, Stretch Glass and the Rainbow Film. And these three probably provide the most variations in looks.

By shooting through these you will get foreground distortions and light flares that can create some very unique looks indeed.

Unboxing and Assembly

Below is a short two minute video from my Instagram Stories. If you want to see the Omni being unboxed and assembled for a sense of scale and ease of use then take a look. Just be mindful that this was recorded from a phone so the quality is pretty low.

The Results

So now that we know how it works and what it does, what do the images look like when you use the Omni?

The following images were taken by me whilst I was testing the new Omni system a few weeks ago.

Click to enlarge: Image taken with the ‘Stretch Glass’ filter — *Click to enlarge:* Image taken with the ‘Stretch Glass’ filter

Click to enlarge: Image taken with the ‘Rainbow Film’ filter — *Click to enlarge:* Image taken with the ‘Rainbow Film’ filter

Click to enlarge: Image taken with the ‘Crystal Seahorse’ filter — *Click to enlarge:* Image taken with the ‘Crystal Seahorse’ filter

Click to enlarge: Image taken with the ‘Crystal Spear’ filter — *Click to enlarge:* Image taken with the ‘Crystal Spear’ filter

I think the above images should give you a pretty good idea of what the system does, but if you’re still unclear, the out of focus foreground blurring and colours in these shots are all produced by the Omni filters.

Omni Crystal Expansion Pack

Also; to the eagle-eyed among you that may have noticed a fourth image and filter in use above, that is actually from the Omni Crystal Expansion Pack that contains an additional 3 filters.

The additional 3 filters are the Crystal Spear, Triangular Prism, Scalloped Window.

Click to enlarge: The 3 additional filters available via the Omni Crystal Expansion Pack — *Click to enlarge:* The 3 additional filters available via the Omni Crystal Expansion Pack

Tips on using the Omni

Bottom line; I think this product is incredibly easy to use. Firstly, it’s not like an art lens that requires manual focus skills. Secondly, the Omni is very much a product that is ‘what you see, is what you get’. You look through the viewfinder, tweak, move, push and pull the filters around until you see something you like.and take a shot.

But there are a few pointers that I’ll add that can set you on the right path to begin with.

Head Outside. I shoot almost exclusively with flash in a studio, but the Omni is actually a little easier to use outside where there is more light to work with.
More Light. The Omni really comes alive when light is hitting the filters in front of the lens, so if you’re not seeing much of an effect, consider a position where more light is striking the filters.
Longer Lens. The Omni effect is reliant on the filters in front of the lens being out of focus. So using longer lenses will help with this and lenses of 50mm or longer will be fine.
Aperture. In keeping with the longer lens, consider shooting wide open with your aperture as well. Using apertures of f2.8 or wider for example will ensure that the filters are completely out of focus and will bed into the surrounding image a little more.

So try shooting outside with plenty of light and use a lens of at least 50mm with a wide open aperture like f2.8 to get the best results with your Omni.

Opinions and Thoughts

I personally think this product is going to be easy for you to decide if you like it or not. The images above speak for themselves regarding what this product does and how you achieve the intended look. You need almost no skill to make these effects appear in your shots and it really will come down to whether you like the look it produces or not.

The Omni will do its job of adding this effect to your image, so if the image is already good without the effect, I think the Omni can add another layer of visual interest that may well enhance the final shot. But don’t think these Omni’s will make an already poor image more engaging, because that’s not what this is.

If you’ve read this far then I’m going to assume you’re interested in what it’s doing so I’ll elaborate on a few strengths I think the Omni has.

What’s wrong with me just holding the ‘filters’ in front of my lens with my hand?

It is of course very possible to simply hold some filters in front of your lens. I’ve held everything from, crystals, lightbulbs and even chair legs in front of my lens before, but the Omni offers a few benefits over you using your regular ol’ meat-hooks.

Two hands. Holding stuff in front of your lens means you only have one hand left to hold the camera. With a DSLR and 24-70mm lens, this becomes ‘literally’ painful to do pretty quickly. The Omni gives you both your hands back to hold and steady the camera.
Professionalism. The Omni is a more professional solution to what can look a little concerning to clients. I’ve seen professional photographers holding sandwich bags in front of their lenses at a wedding before, and although I’m all for ‘getting-the-shot’, this can be unnerving to those not familiar with our dedication to the craft. The Omni looks very clean and very professional so if you’re after a more polished approach to in-camera effects, the Omni provides that.
Consistency. One issue I’ve always had with holding something in front of my lens in the past was consistency. Sure I might get an awesome effect in one shot, but the next image will be completely different as the filter moves. The Omni holds the filter exactly where you want it and keeps it there so you can recreate that exact same look again and again and maybe even with another subject. Imagine setting up some lights for a series of portraits and wanting a consistent look across multiple people. The Omni can ensure that happens.
Video. Although I don’t shoot video, I think the Omni is a great solution for video or in fact any tripod work. The Omni sits on the lens and gives you a consistent look throughout an entire scene. Again, this would be very hard to do with you simply holding it. Plus if you are on a tripod you can be looking through the lens and tweaking the filters to exactly the right point and then when you let go they stay exactly where you left them thanks to the magnets.

JakeHicksPhotography (9 of 14) 1500 square.jpg

Your Lens Size

The whole Omni system does really hinge on you attaching the whole thing to your lens, so you really need to make sure the Omni fits your proffered lens choice. To try and accommodate as many photographers as possible, Lensbaby has made the Omni in two sizes and in each of those two sizes there are also a variety of step rings so that the metal disc will fit as many of your lenses as possible.

Here’s the two base packs they offer.

-The smaller metal ring Omni has a 58mm thread and includes step-down rings to also fit 49mm, 52mm, & 55mm lens threads.

- The larger metal ring Omni has a 77mm metal ring and includes step-up/down rings to also fit 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, & 82mm lens threads.

So essentially if you have lenses with a diameter of 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm or 82mm, then the Omni has you covered.

Just be sure to select the right size pack you need when purchasing.

Tip: Your lens diameter is often displayed not only on the front around the glass, but also on the reverse of your lens cap.

Closing Comments

As I mentioned above, I think this product really does speak for itself and you’ll likely know by now as to whether this is for you or not.

I think that if you’re a fan of Lensbaby products already or other art lenses that bake visual effects directly into your shot at the point of capture, then you’ll love the Omni.

On the other hand, if you’re somebody who is hesitant about the permanent nature of in-camera effects and instead prefer to add effects later in Photoshop, the Omni is perhaps not for you.

This distinction may seem obvious to many of you, but when this product released a few days ago, I saw the usual trolls rushing to the comments sections of every Omni post berating this product when its effects can supposedly be produced in Photoshop with more control and far less permanence. I must admit, I’m puzzled by the curious nature of those individuals bothering to engage in those articles when they clearly have no interest in the product, surely we are beyond this fairly dated argument now.

Yes, lighting effects can be added in Photoshop later on. But you may ask yourself how good they actually look when added afterwards. After all, systems like the Omni use the refraction of light in the surrounding area when crystals and prisms are concerned. It is simply impossible for Photoshop to augment light data from areas not within the camera frame. As a result, I firmly believe that if you’re interested in creating these optical foreground elements in your shot, then doing so at the point of capture will always look far better compared to doing it in post with those painfully dated and very obvious overlays.

Oh, and it’s actually just a ton of fun to use and experiment with the Omni whilst shooting, and in my opinion, it’s just far easier and simpler to do it in camera than in post-pro :D

In the interest of total transparency, I was sent an Omni by Lensbaby to test and provide feedback. I was not and am not being paid to write this article, but I have been given a discount code for you guys to use if you are interested in purchasing one for yourself. If you do use that code then I will see a small commission at some point in future, but in reality that will amount to a couple of beers and I really can’t see myself retiring off of this anytime soon.

My point being; I believe this article to be an honest opinion on how I feel about this product.

Links, Discounts and Where to Buy

For the official word on this Omni, head on over to the Lensbaby site here OMNI CREATIVE FILTER SYSTEM

If you want more info on the expansion pack then that can be found here OMNI CRYSTAL EXPANSION PACK

Prices are listed as follows as of June 25th 2019:

Base pack: $99.95 - £89.00

Expansion pack: $49.95 - £45.00

As with many marketing strategies, the actual release date for products can be far more confusing than it needs to be. What with pre-orders, back-orders, early-bird, pre-sale, early-adopter, registered sales and so on, the confusion can be frustrating. All this to say that I actually don’t know when this product was released/became available! I thought it was released on June 18th, but the official statement on the site reads;

“*The OMNI Creative Filter System is currently available for preorder. They will begin shipping mid-July, in the order in which they are received.*”

So there’s your answer and unfortunately you have to wait a couple of weeks yet before you can start shooting with it.

EDIT: I reached out to Lensbaby to get an official statement on availability and it seems that they are unfortunately backlogged on shipping. This means that they’ve sold out for now but they said they will shipping products in the order in which they receive them. So basically, the sooner you order it, the sooner you’ll receive your Omni over simply waiting for them to state they have more products back in stock.

My British Brethren

If you happen to be one of my countrymen/ladies here in the U.K., then I have a discount code for you if you purchase the Omni from WEX Photographic. Here’s the links:

Lensbaby OMNI Creative Filter System Small for filter thread sizes 49-58mm

Lensbaby OMNI Creative Filter System Large for filter thread sizes 62-82mm

Lensbaby OMNI Crystal Expansion Pack

Use the discount code: JAKEHICKS10 at checkout for 10% off. Plus this code works on ALL Lensbaby products at WEX too!!

Thanks as always for checking out this article and spending a little bit of your day with me here. If you have any questions about the Omni then feel free to let me know in the comments below and if you pick one up, definitely let me know, I’d love to see your shots.

More Free Tips & Techniques

Did you receive my FREE 10 page PDF on Studio Lighting Tips yet?

**Sign up now and you’ll get yourself a FREE 10 PAGE PDF of my all time ‘Top 10 Photography Tips and Techniques’!**

NEWSLETTER SIGN UP - PLUS FREE 10 PAGE TECHNIQUES PDF