Smoke Art Photography

What is smoke art photography?

It’s exactly what it sounds like—you take pictures of smoke. But not just any smoke. Usually it’s from something like incense because it burns clean and gives you that nice, steady stream to work with. The real magic is in how the smoke twists and curls around on its own, giving you totally random (and super cool) shapes. And then you light it just right, snap the photo, and maybe throw in a bit of editing, and suddenly you’ve got something that looks like a ghost, a dragon, or some trippy abstract art.

What you need

Nothing too fancy here:

• A black background (could be cloth, cardboard, anything that soaks up light)

• Incense sticks (cheap, easy to find, smell kinda nice too)

• A tripod (so you’re not chasing focus every time the smoke moves)

• An off-camera flash or strong directional light (side lighting works best)

• Your camera, obviously—ideally something you can set manually

How to set it up

You’ll want a dark room or at least a setup where you can control the light. Set the incense in front of your black background. Your flash or light should come from the side so the smoke lights up nicely without ruining the dark backdrop.

Focus manually where the smoke rises, then just… wait. As soon as the smoke starts doing its thing, start snapping. You can wave your hand gently near the incense to make the smoke dance a bit. It’s all about timing—some of the shapes are boring, but others? Total magic.

Settings-wise, try something like 1/200 sec, f/8, ISO 100, and adjust as needed.

Editing is where the real fun starts

Once you’ve got your shots, now it’s time to play.

• You can invert the image if you want white smoke on a black background.

• Or add colour to the smoke trails—gradient overlays or manual colouring can make them pop.

• Mirror your image to make cool symmetrical shapes. A simple flip can make your smoke look like a butterfly, mask, or some kind of fantasy creature..

Why you should give it a shot

It’s cheap, it’s fun, and it’s weirdly relaxing. You don’t need to go anywhere special or have any fancy gear. Just a room, a bit of incense, and some time to mess around. And the best part? No two shots will ever be the same. You’ll end up with a bunch of unique, trippy images that look way more complicated than they were to make.