My first smoke pic

[mike3767]

Watcha think for a first timer?

 

[lyonsroar]

Whoops, saw it on FB first...

Let me draw my setup...

This was before I had a flash so I had to make the best of what I had. The light source was almost even with the black posterboard pointed slightly towards the camera. I experimented a lot though...
I'm going to do it again when my Cowboy Studios wireless trigger comes in.

 

[HWesh]

If you are able to get a flash off camera this is the setup that I used for my photos.

The cardboard pieces stopped the flash from spilling all over the black sheet, the lamp lit up the smoke enough for me to focus, and the reflector reflected the flash back on to the incense stick.

What were your camera settings?

 

[D-B-J]

This is the best i could do with what i had. Try and get an off camera flash for smoke photography. It's essential.

Regards,
Jake

 

[Rit]

Nicely done! If you didn't say it was smoke I would have assumed it was some abstract drawing from photoshop or something.:thumbup:

 

[MissCream]

Here's a quick edit I did

 

[mike3767]

My set up was black felt background and one studio light on the left and ocf on the right. I didn't have any side reflectors. Will that make a huge difference? How did D-B-J get the blue smoke on black background? I messed around with WB but I couldn't get colored smoke.

 

[D-B-J]

My set up was black felt background and one studio light on the left and ocf on the right. I didn't have any side reflectors. Will that make a huge difference? How did D-B-J get the blue smoke on black background? I messed around with WB but I couldn't get colored smoke.

Those will make a huge difference, as it will stop light from spilling onto the background. I could try and explain my post processing, but this video does it for me, and is in fact where i learned.



But for my edit, i used lr3. Boosted contrast, added clarity and vibrance, and significantly increased the blacks. I also had to go in and paint away the blue background, and turn it into a black background. As a final touch i darkened up the edges to keep the focus central to the smoke.

Regards,
Jake

 

[lyonsroar]

I got color on mine by using the photoshop gradient tool.

 

[simo110]

it needs PP I think