Four Simple Beginner Tips for Photography With Smoke Bombs

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Photography with smoke bombs is a popular method for adding interest to all sorts of photography, including portraits, wedding photography, and holiday images.

In this article, we’ll cover some ideas for fun and creative smoke bomb photography, a few simple tips on how to use smoke bombs, and some safety tips, too.

Now, onto the tutorial…

Use High-Quality Smoke Bombs

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My first rule of photography with smoke bombs is to use high-quality smoke bombs. Weak colors, no body to the smoke, not enough smoke, and duds are just a few of the issues that can be avoided by only using good bombs from a respected manufacturer.

Enola Gaye is the retailer of choice for my smoke bomb photography. Why? Well, that’s easy…

Enola Gaye smoke bombs provide intense colors, have a lot of very thick smoke with each bomb, and hardly ever have any duds. That’s exactly what you want when you invest in smoke for your photographic pursuits!

Backlit Photography with Smoke Bombs

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When engaging in photography with smoke bombs, we can use the smoke effects as an element of our image, or we can use the bombs as the main subject.

When we are doing smoke bomb photography with the smoke as the main subject, setting up a lighting configuration or moving around to capture the natural light for backlit photography can create a very interesting image. The color and texture of a thick bank of smoke takes on a whole new feel when lit from behind instead of from the front or side.

Above is a very interesting video with a few smoke bomb ideas called “5 Creative Ways To Use Smoke Bombs for Photography” by SLR Lounge. It’s worth a quick watch if you need some additional inspiration for your photography with smoke bombs.

Use Smoke Bombs as Backgrounds

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Indoors or out, backgrounds can cause us fits when making portraits. For example, the tops of the trees may be gorgeous, but the ground itself might mostly be dirt. So, setting off a smoke bomb can become its own background.

We can shoot outside on a still day, and the smoke will last a long time, especially if we build up the smoke. Alternatively, we can spread out the smoke by moving around as we release the bomb, thinning it out a bit. Thinning out the smoke also makes it more translucent to light and to background imagery.

Group Photography with Smoke Bombs

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Group photography with smoke bombs can be simple or outrageous. A simple approach may use the smoke bombs as the background or as some level of diffusion when shooting through the smoke.

An option for group photography with smoke bombs is to use thick smoke and pose for a surreal image. For example, you might photograph someone’s hands reaching through the smoke while the rest of their body is obscured.

Of course, there are many other variations of ideas and poses you can try with groups. Smoke bomb photography can be used in so many different ways!

Use Color Themes for Holidays and Events

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Another great reason I like Enola Gaye is the wide variety of colors they offer. The different colors can be used to great effect when attempting to convey an idea of a holiday or some other type of event.

Gender reveals probably come to your mind right away, which is one great idea of how to use smoke bombs in our photography. A gender reveal can be done with inanimate objects as the subject matter or with people for a group portrait or individual sitting.

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Halloween is wonderful holiday for getting started in photography with smoke bombs. Black smoke can be used in a huge number of ways, as part of the subject, as a foreground element, as a background, or as a special effect.

Silver smoke can bring out feelings of winter or cold, red smoke can represent all sorts of ideas, including danger or passion. Green and blue are two other colors that can be incorporated, and using green and red together may scream Christmastime for fans of that season.

Be Safety Aware

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As photographers, we’re used to ideals such as, “Take only photos, leave only footprints” for imaging nature scenes. A similar thought involves fire safety for smoke bomb photography. We’ve seen the stories of destructive and dangerous fires sparked by someone doing a gender reveal. Don’t be that person.

Some gentle reminders are to watch for combustibles around you, obey any outdoor burn bans or cautions, and have a metal bucket, water, or an extinguisher on hand, just in case.

Follow the directions, and you will find it’s a simple task to stay safe. Since that worry will be out of the way, try out some of these ideas for smoke bomb photography with Enola Gaye smoke bombs!