Film Noir-look in foto's met LED-lampen
Wednesday 30 September 2026, 20:20 by Elja Trum | 48 views | 0 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
Film noir remains a great style to experiment with. Hard light, deep shadows, black and white, and of course those classic stripes from venetian blinds across your model. With a few simple ingredients, you can quickly create the feeling of an old crime film, even in a small home studio.
In a new video, photographer Gavin Hoey shows how he builds a Film Noir setup step by step. This time, he uses continuous LED lighting instead of flash.
The big advantage is that you can immediately see where the light and shadows fall. This is particularly important with Film Noir, because the shadows are at least as important to the final result as the light itself.
Playing with hard light and shadows
For the typical Film Noir look, Gavin uses a set of venetian blinds that he shines hard light through. First, he tries a standard reflector, then a snoot, and finally a reflector with a grid. This allows him to bundle the light enough without it immediately becoming a small spotlight.
Gavin then adds a transparent acrylic sheet to the setup. It acts as a window behind the blinds. The sheet itself is almost invisible, but it does create reflections. By placing a black background behind the 'window', those reflections become especially visible. A lovely addition!
More Film Noir
Gavin Hoey previously showed how he approaches Film Noir photography in the studio. It's worth watching that video too if you want to get started with this style.
We have also covered this photography style on Photofacts before. In the article 5 tips for Film Noir photography, you'll find a few more practical ways to create that dark, mysterious look in your own photos.
Gavin's video mainly shows that you don't need a complete film set for this. With a few lights, a set of venetian blinds and some simple materials, you can build a convincing Film Noir setup at home.
About the author
Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.
You might also like
-
5 Tips for Film Noir Photographyby Elja Trum
-
5 Tips for Variety in the (Home) Studioby Elja Trum
-
Film Noir Photography in the Studio with Gavin Hoeyby Elja Trum
-
LED-lampje in de vorm van een filmrolletjeby Elja Trum
-
Flash photography tip: Create your own home studioby Elja Trum
0 comments
Be the first to share what you think!
Become a better photographer every week
A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
39,107 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via 
Facebook.
Elja Trum
Photofacts; everything to do with photography!
Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about PhotofactsPhotofacts is made possible in part by
