Unless you’re a master at 3D and compositing, digitally adding smoke to a photo is a lot harder than adding it practically while you’re shooting. And with these instant smoke drops, you can easily create plumes without burning your studio down.
The drops actually come in two separate bottles of unnamed chemicals that when combined produce a bona-fide smoke effect — without ever having to start a fire. The smoke keeps billowing for up to 10 minutes. Just how much is produced is dependent on how many drops, or squirts, you use.
While the instant smoke can obviously be used for adding magical effects to your photos, on a more practical level it’s perfect for creating steam coming off of food that’s supposed to be piping hot. And if you need some more inspiration to justify their $US49 price tag, just check out what Amar Ramesh is doing with smoke in his shots. [Photojojo via The Fancy]
Telextial
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 1:26 PMHm. In photo on the right, everyone/everything is much too orange (not saying anything about hair colour). It’s a nice touch, but it’s still not the same (the smoke seems to appear as a sharp line behind the plate).
Sevrin
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 1:42 PMYou can achieve the same effect by placing the food in a microwave for 1 minute on high. ;-)
Graeme
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 4:18 PMCheaper option is to use a cigarette inside a sauce squeeze bottle. Wedge the filter end of the cigarette into the nozzle and light it. Screw it inside the bottle, then as you gently squeeze the bottle, it produce smoke through the nozzle.
John
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 9:01 PMI like to use good ol mosquito coils.. break off a small piece and light both ends.. lots of good looking smoke
melissa
Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 10:57 PMactually adding smoke in photoshop is pretty easy if you have a nice smoke image with a black background, just do a simple ‘screen’ blend on a new layer. no 3D compositing needed. the smoke drops might be handy for video though.
Graeme
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 12:25 PMOr use the food photographers trick of a wet tampon in the microwave. You end up with a steaming cotton ball with a string handle.
Tony
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 1:39 PMHave been buying Smoke Drops (called AB Smoke) from a Geelong company for a year or so, exactly the same stuff and cheaper.