7 Tips for Using Smoke Bombs for Photography

Smoke bombs are a great way to add creativity to your next photo shoot! Recently, the use of smoke bombs for photography has become very popular for not only professional photographers, but for amateurs too! You can use smoke bombs in all sorts of ways to make your photos look more professional, unique, and exciting. However, using smoke bombs for photography isn't as easy as it looks. We've put together a list of 6 tips to make sure your photos come out amazing! 

1. Practice your poses before using the smoke bombs. 

Like we said above, it's tricky to get great photos with smoke bombs! And although our  RP 90's  are some of the longest lasting smokes on the market, they only last for approximately 90 seconds. That's not a ton of time, so you want every second to count! Cycle through your poses so that you're ready once the smoke is activated to get the most out of each smoke bomb. Practicing poses can feel silly, but it's well worth your while (and your wallet will thank you!). 

 

2. Bring more smoke bombs than you think. 

One thing you don't want is to run out of smoke before you have all the photos you want! It's especially important to purchase extra smokes if you're hiring a professional photographer. You can save money buy purchasing smokes in multi-packs. Just select the color you want, and then select chose if you want a single smoke bomb, 3 pack, 5 pack, or 10 pack (the links for these are for our more popular colors: brown). 

3. Watch out for wind! 

Wind and other environmental factors can cause the smoke to disappear very quickly. Make sure you're choosing a place that is protected from the wind if possible. If you have the choice, pick a day that isn't windy to shoot. If you're limited on time, bring some sort of wind protection, like a tarp, to hang up if you need to! Another environmental factor that most people don't think about is moving water. Moving water will cause air movement, which will also cause your smoke to disappear quickly! If you're wanting to do a photo shoot near a waterfall or river, you might want to bring extra smoke bombs and use more than one at a time. 

4. Use smoke as a backdrop. 

You can create a wall of smoke by activating multiple smoke bombs at a time! Have your model stand in front of the smoke, creating cool photos like the one below. By using smoke as a backdrop, you open up way more options for where you can have your photo shoot! You could even back your stage up against a wall of a building (creating wind protection), and your viewers would have no idea! 

5. Use multiple types of smoke bombs to create layered effects. 

You can use multiple colors and types of smoke bombs to create really unique photos! If you have some colors as a backdrop, use a different color in front to create diversity in your photos. A great way to do this is by having a Ring Pull 90 in the background, and using one of our Ring Pull Mini's in front! This will also create depth with your smoke by having larger clouds in the back and smaller clouds in the front! 

6. Get creative with your lighting. 

Just like with regular photo shoots, paying attention to your lighting when shooting with smoke bombs is very important! Place your subjects in as much natural light as possible. If it's a cloudy day or you're shooting indoors, try to create as close to 'studio' lighting as possible. You never want to overexpose your subject, but you definitely don't want your photos to come out dark and dull either (unless that's the look you're going for of coarse!). Another approach is to back-light your models through a smoke cloud to create effects like the photo below. This photo was created by igniting 2 RP90's (you'll need more if it's a windy day!), and back lighting the smoke cloud with other lights. 

7. Use props! 

You can use all sorts of props to create amazing photos! If you're shooting for a gender reveal, place a gender reveal smoke bomb inside of a mason jar to make the jar appear to be smoking. You can do this by placing Ring Pull Mini's in mugs, other vases, and really any other shape you want! You can also use umbrellas to create illusions of the smoke falling from under the umbrella (shown below). Keep in mind that we always recommend customers to place their smokes on the ground! If you do chose to hold the smoke bomb, you do so at your own risk. Smokes are similar to fireworks and come with inherent risks, not to mention they get hot while their activated! 

Hopefully this post helps you create amazing photos! Don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to get the latest news and coupons for our products! Tag us to be featured, we love seeing your photos! 

Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published