Smoke Photography

Materials Needed:

• Incense sticks• Lighter• Black background• Area with good lighting

and zero breeze• Spot light for additional

light

Starting image

• This image is going to require editing – all things you know how to do!

• We will be practicing this as a group

• Use a fast shutter speed!

• Smoke photography step-by-step• Step 1: Get the following equipment• Black backdrop

To intensify the backlit smoke, black is essential. Cheap and cheerful card will be fine.• Incense sticks

Better for your health than cigarettes and they smoulder constantly and predictably.• Flashgun

Your camera’s built-in flash won’t do, as you’ll need to manually backlight the smoke to make it come alive. • Tripod

The outdoor photographer’s essential item is just crucial indoors, especially in this low-light scenario.

•

Step 3: Smoke photo set-up and techniqueFirst of all, you’ll need a dark room. To make sure ambient light doesn’t affect the flash exposure you’ll be using, block out light from windows and doors by draping sheets or towels over them.

• Leave the light on while you clear a table top and place some black card against the wall to use as your backdrop. Position an incense holder and stick 12 inches in front of this. Now put your camera on a tripod around three feet from the incense (the actual distance will depend on the close-focusing ability of your lens).

• To retain a good degree of sharpness in your smoke photos, use autofocus to lock on to the tip of the incense stick. Now switch your lens to manual focus to prevent the camera hunting for focus later. Recompose the shot so that the incense is just out of the bottom of the viewfinder.

• Not all viewfinders offer a 100% view of the scene, so allow for this when recomposing the shot (otherwise the tip of the incense stick is likely to creep, unseen into the frame).

• When you’re ready to shoot, light the incense and turn the lights off. Use a remote shutter release or use the camera’s self timer. Position a flashgun underneath and behind the incense and when the shutter opens during the 1-second exposure, fire the flash manually by pressing its pilot button.

• Check your results after each exposure to make sure the composition and sharpness are acceptable.• Experimenting with the position of the incense stick at the bottom of the frame and gently wafting the smoke can throw up some

spectacular results. However, remember that you’re photographing smouldering incense, which has the potential to cause fire or injury.

• Step 2: Use these settings on your DSLRHere are our recommended camera settings for taking a smoke photo…● ISO – keep it as low as possible for best image quality● File format – shoot RAW● Focal length – around 50mm looks natural and works best● Exposure mode – manual● Aperture – shoot between f/8 and f/16 for sharp results● Shutter speed – set this for a one-second exposure● Off-camera Flash – set it to Manual and select 1/8 of full power● Metering – ignore your camera’s meter● Shutter release – use a remote release or your self-timer

Hints and Tips:

• To retain a good degree of sharpness in your smoke photos, use autofocus to lock on to the tip of the incense stick.

• Now switch your lens to manual focus to prevent the camera hunting for focus later. Recompose the shot so that the incense is just out of the bottom of the viewfinder.