More smoke, but much more delicate

[rokkstar]

Sorry to appear vulgar guys and just post more pictures of smoke, but these ones I tried to make look a lot more delicate than the other disruptive smoke I posted the other day.

WOuld appreciate your comments and critique on these because I am still trying to perfect this technique.







Cheers

[Sheetshooter]

Matt,

These are much much nicer. It is great to see you re-visit the subject and try, try, try again.

Perhaps some of the high values could still be reduced a tad. Somehow I have some mental image of the Gitanes packet and all that that conjures up about darker places and hushed tones - visual and aural.

Top work Matt.

[stubbsy]

Matt

I looked at, but did not comment on, the first smoke post because they didn't really grab me. These are different and a great example of why we need to sometimes persist to capture the vision we want.

These are silky and seductive and languid. and well just bloody exceptional. The second and third have the most appeal for me. The only one that doesn't stand out is the last one - principally because the visual flow of the smoke is disrupted when I hit the turbulence in the middle.

Superb (sublime even). Have you tried these in greyscale (NOT B & W)

[PiroStitch]

The first one is my favourite Silky smooth and delicate. Looks a lot like a few wallpapers I've seen around.

[wendellt]

Matt

This set is sultry and sophisticated. The art director in you comes out in these you could really do a great job using them in commercial art application

I prefer elegant flow of the 3rd one

I can see the that you twirled the combustable source in the 2nd one, very commendable

topnotch work.

[Sheetshooter]

Matt,

I assume you are using regular gaspers for this. As someone who had a $100/day Havanna habit may I suggest that the smoke from a fine cigar has quite a different look to it and might be worth a try.

Cheers,

[stubbsy]

SS I think Matt mentioned in the other thread that he was using incense. I'm guessing the whole of Surry Hills smells nice by now!

[pippin88]

Great images.

I'd like to see darker verions - just to have a look - but I think these work very well.

[rokkstar]

Afternoon guys,

thank you for the comments.

Sheetshooter - I intend to re-visit this subject until I nail it completely. I'm not sure what you mean exactly by high values - do you mean on the histogram? Also the smoke source is from an incense stick - but I might go get me a pack of cafe cremes and experiment a wee bit more.

Stubbsy - The first batch were really just testing the water and they weren't really what I was after. I want to try and capture the organic silky smooth beauty that smoke creates and I think I'm one step closer with these. I know what you mean about the turbulence disrupting the flow.

Priostitch - many thanks, and I've now put one of them as my wallpaper

Wendell - I didn't touch the smoke source at all. I blew it slightly to try to get it to go where I wanted but that's about it.

pippin - I've tried darkening the images but you lose some of the sheeting of the smoke. It's a bit of a shame really because I would like them slightly darker too.

Many thanks again guys

[MHD]

First image is Fabulous... Sumbit it to comps and stock galleries! Great work!

[Alpha_7]

Great work here, glad you are refining you technique and the results speak for themselves on this. Just wondering if you had given any longer exposures a try... say like (10 seconds) might be worth a try

[spartikus]

The first catches my eye the most - looks almost digitally manipulated! Top work.

[Hutchy]

Very nice images and a great succession to your last series. Have you looked at Evon Lim's work? I saw her shots a while ago and was going to attempt a similar shoot. I cant connect to her site unfortunately but she's got some good examples - hope they help.

[rokkstar]

Wow,

They are wonderful. I hadn't seen them before - very similar. I tried inverting and colourising some of them but didn't get those type of results. I might give it a go. Thanks for the heads up.

Many thanks for all you comments people. Totally enjoying this type of shoot.

[PiroStitch]

That's what I love about this forum It really forces me to think outside the square to be more creative. Even the simplest of things can be transformed into the greatest of ideas and pics.

[chris1968]

matt - love your shots - per comments above i think this second set are an improvement on the already impressive first lot.

I am looking to try something similar based on an article in Digital Photographer her in the uk which shows similar shots but adding colur, tehn i scroll on and see Hutchys post, though the article i saw was not the same Photog..

[KerryPierce]

These are very good, Matt. Nicely done.

[rokkstar]

I am so sorry to keep floggin a dead horse here people, but after looking at those shots in Hutchys post I decided to try that technique on some of mine.

The results are these:






Cheers and once again sorry for the repetitiveness at the moment

[ozimax]

Nos 2&3 are amazing.

(I have a few photos of fire coming out of an old washing machine innards used as a fire place and the effects are amazing.)

I don't know what or how you've done what you've done but they are surreally sophisticated.

Max

[Alpha_7]

Matt these are AWESOME!!!

Wow, whatever you did to acheive those affects I hope you've saved it, as this are just great. The different colours come across to me like different flavours, like cinnamon, chocolate and lime. Really nice affects.

[wendellt]

Yowsa MAtt

you inverted them, watch out for Mic

you are really impressing me.

[Hutchy]

Very nicely done Rokkstar! I cant find the the post where I got those images (it was a while ago) but I do remember she used the paintbrush in photoshop to change the colours.

Man digital makes life soooo much easier. I've resisted it for a long time but I can just imagine the cost of film and polaroids to experiment and get those results.

[Hutchy]

Ahhh - I found it!

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic2 ... /0#1504987

thanks all.
It was shot with black background with some light coming from the side.

that after I inverted the photo in photoshop, using layer blending and brush tool to color the smoke.

I moved house not long ago and tried the same idea using my Elinchrom kit but the electricity board switches off as soon as I fire up the floorpacks. Did you use portable flash for your series? I have Metz gear and may try those instead.

Very well done Rokkstar and worth exploring more I think as every shot taken would give different results.

[rokkstar]

Yeah, these were inverted with a wee bit of selective colouring.

I'm still trying to get that perfect shot so will definately keep experimenting but until I get it.

I would never ever have experimented like this with film. Digital is fantastic!

Thanks for the positive feedback peeps.

[PiroStitch]

I sniff another controversial POTW coming up

[pippin88]

The colouring is great.

Might try to find some time to do something similar, you've semi inspired me.

[Hutchy]

I sniff another controversial POTW coming up

Why controversial?

[MCWB]

I would never ever have experimented like this with film. Digital is fantastic!

Amen to that! Great work Matt, love every image in this thread. Serene and sublime.

[sirhc55]

Keep on experimenting Matt - each time you do this you get results more amazing than those before

[kipper]

Cant wait to get an SC-17/SC-28 cord as it allow me to have the flash off camera without having to use the camera inbuilt to trigger the SB800.

Slightly OT but that's just me all over
Does the SC-17/SC-28 also have the standard flash mount on the underside of the SC-17/SC-28 on the section that is attached to the flash. I want to use the ministand that came with the flash.