Swirling smoke and steam evoke the senses and are beautiful to shoot, bringing an ethereal magic to your scene. Of all the seasons, they suit Autumn best - rich colours, darker nights and cosy food all tie in beautifully.
An Old Fashioned cocktail shot by Cath Lowe using our Peanut backdrop behind.
Smoking s'mores captured by Sophie Purser with the Hide cut wood effect backdrop as the surface and Kyoto black backdrop behind.
Our top tips for capturing smoke and steam
- As smoke and steam are white they instantly disappear on a white background. Use a background that allows the steam or smoke to show up. Dark backgrounds work well, but they don’t have to be dark – gentle or bright colours also work, anything that creates contrast with the white swirl.
- Light from the side or slightly behind so the light hits the smoke and separates it from the background. This can be artificial light or window light.
- Use a shutter speed that freezes the action to some extent – around 1/160 or 1/200 with studio flash. Some smoke will still blur, but distinct trails and wisps will be frozen. A slow shutter speed leaves you with a foggy blur.
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Photographer Cath Lowe recommends using incense sticks. She says "They give off plenty of smoke and burn for a long time. While they may drop ash over your scene, they’re unlikely to burn your house down if carefully looked after. Keep a mug of water nearby to drop them into. One issue is too much smoke making the scene look unreal, so take a number of shots and move the incense sticks around to vary the effect".
- Check for room draughts. A window, or even you moving towards the scene, can blow the steam sideways.
- It almost goes without saying that we recommend using a tripod. You’ll need to keep your shutter speed high and stay perfectly still so the smoke or steam doesn’t blur. A remote shutter will help if you want to blow a candle out or control smoke on set and take the shot before it changes.
- Another trick is to keep your drink or soup on a low boil, or microwave it with clingfilm on top, ready to place at the last minute – be careful, steam can burn.
- As with any action shot, have a few safety shots of your final setup in the bag before going for the action, in case you need to comp later if it all goes T-up!
Beautiful steamy soup shot by Cath Lowe using the Amsterdam wall panel backdrop behind
Spiced pear and pumpkin bundt cake shot by Sophie Purser using the Quay old wood backdrop as the table surface and Whitby black wood backdrop behind.
1 comment
Not a question, I just wanted to say how much I love your features. Always such helpful advice and ideas, thank you!