smoke as "art" "Piggyback Ride" - A Fantasy In Smoke

A psychadelic version of a childhood memory. Perhaps others will see

something different.

is it a photo?

YES... this IS a photo. Levels and stauration have been adjusted and this portion cropped from the, mostly blank, original frame. There is also a small bit of edge enhancement.

 

The basics of how it was made are in the Techincal Details.

Love your smoke explorations, it stimulates the fantasy.

I was playing with smoke the other day but I hadn't thought of lighting it. I'd like to show your work to the other students in my photo class if you don't mind.

You are most welcome to show my photos to your fellow students. I am always pleased to share my knowlege and work with others.

 

Here is a basic description of the set-up used for the smoke shots...

 

For the majority of the photos the lighting was esentially the same. The smoke was from one or more incense cones, and was lit from below. The "stack" from bottom up was as follows:

 

1. Alien Bees 800 ws strobe with barn-doors, pointing up.

 

2. An 11" by 14" piece of cardboard with a 7" hole in the center. This acts as a light-shield and support for the remaining items.

 

3. Colored gel pieces or strips between two sheets of clear acrylic. The gels are aligned over the opening in the cardboard.

 

4. A Pyrex bowl 8" diameter by 4" hight inverted over the gels. The bottom of the bowl is flat and about 7" in diameter. This provides a support for the burning incense and does not obstruct the light.

 

5. I place an opaque object about 7" wide by 5" high in front of the bowl to block all light except that reflected/scattered by the smoke.

 

6. This entire "stack" is located about 8' from a flat-black background. The camera is around 3' from the subject.

 

I use the strobe at full power so as to obtain the best DOF.

 

I hope this clarifies any questions you may have as to how I do these shots.

thanks! that's very helpful