A Day Playing With Smoke

This is another past time I enjoy there is something mystical about the way smoke moves. Today for some reason the smoke was not playing ball but I managed to pull a few shots off. For some reason the smoke and my set up just wouldn't play ball.

Do I need studio kit for this?


Honest answer in an ideal world yes but if like me you are on a budget all you need is a plain black background a desk lamp, tripod, off camera flash, barn doors would be ideal but if like me you haven't got them then some plain black card taped to both sides of your flash this helps direct the light onto the smoke and away from your background and a josh stick. And that is it really. You put the lamp one side to put some light onto the smoke and the flash the other side to illuminate the smoke when you push the shutter. Focus in on the top of the josh stick and then shoot away. You can jazz it up a little with coloured gels to add colour to the smoke but you can do this in photoshop via the hue/saturation if like me you haven't the budget for all the top gear.

Here is a few shots from today

Thanks For Reading
James