Barn Doors !

Here's one https://www.tomtop.com/p-d3525.html

But - tbh, these are not going to be that effective - they are too small in comparison to the light source - and always will be as they have to fold over themselves. I buy packs of 25 A4 black card from WH Smiths. Get one piece of this and make a tube. Put this over the end of your speed-light and move it back and forth to alter the spread of light. Cut bits out if you need it to spread more on one side etc.

You can buy a commercial thing to do this in the shape of the FlashBender - https://www.wexphotovideo.com/rogue-flashbender-2-xl-pro-lighting-system-1568591 you can roll this into a tube and bend it about. I have one, but it's a bit cumbersome and heavy to attach - I prefer the card sheets.

Also if you just need to narrow the light, try Ken's idea - grids are much more portable and easy to manage.
 
Scooter said:
Here's one https://www.tomtop.com/p-d3525.html

But - tbh, these are not going to be that effective - they are too small in comparison to the light source - and always will be as they have to fold over themselves. I buy packs of 25 A4 black card from WH Smiths. Get one piece of this and make a tube. Put this over the end of your speed-light and move it back and forth to alter the spread of light. Cut bits out if you need it to spread more on one side etc.

You can buy a commercial thing to do this in the shape of the FlashBender - https://www.wexphotovideo.com/rogue-flashbender-2-xl-pro-lighting-system-1568591 you can roll this into a tube and bend it about. I have one, but it's a bit cumbersome and heavy to attach - I prefer the card sheets.

Also if you just need to narrow the light, try Ken's idea - grids are much more portable and easy to manage.
Click to expand...
This ^
The point of a barn door is it controls spill on a large light source, the front of a speedlight isn’t a large light source (unless you’re using it from inches away for macro)
So there’s other better ways to control spill more suited to the tiny light source.
 
Phil V said:
This ^
The point of a barn door is it controls spill on a large light source, the front of a speedlight isn’t a large light source (unless you’re using it from inches away for macro)
So there’s other better ways to control spill more suited to the tiny light source.
Click to expand...
As above..
Also, barn doors date back to the days when they were pretty much the only light modifier available for the "Redhead" and "Blonde" (very hot 800 and 2000 watt continuous lights) that both movie and still photographers used to use back then, any other modifiers would catch fire or melt - but today we can get much better, more controlled results with other types of modifiers, and none of the barn door accessories that I've personally seen actually work well anyway, they always seem to need a bit of extension, using Cinefoil.
 
Garry Edwards said:
As above..
Also, barn doors date back to the days when they were pretty much the only light modifier available for the "Redhead" and "Blonde" (very hot 800 and 2000 watt continuous lights) that both movie and still photographers used to use back then, any other modifiers would catch fire or melt - but today we can get much better, more controlled results with other types of modifiers, and none of the barn door accessories that I've personally seen actually work well anyway, they always seem to need a bit of extension, using Cinefoil.
Click to expand...
Blimey things have changed, the ones on the set of Dark Materials last year were 18.000w each
 
Phil V said:
This ^
The point of a barn door is it controls spill on a large light source, the front of a speedlight isn’t a large light source (unless you’re using it from inches away for macro)
So there’s other better ways to control spill more suited to the tiny light source.
Click to expand...

I was hopping to use the barn doors for macro and portrait work
 
drsilver said:
They make grids and snoots that will go in front of a speedlight to narrow the light. Not sure I've seen barn doors.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HTWF5SY
Click to expand...


I made one from cut up straws, a pound store elbow support, PVA glue, and card board.
I will a picture and post on here.
At a photography exbo I went to a few years ago I was luncky to get a free Strobo Light Modification System which can take the honeycomb grid, plus colour filters etc. However th eeco system is pretty expensive !
 
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