Make simple and cheap DIY smoke for photos and videos

There are several ways of creating smoke for your photos and videos. Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter will show you how to make an awesome smoke effect for your photos and videos. It’s not always easy to control the smoke, no matter the way you make it. But Caleb’s method makes the smoke easy to distribute and control. What’s more, it’s cheap and requires only two props: baby nose sucker and hand-held vaporizer. Sounds bizarre, but it works like a charm.

Get the props

You can find nasal aspirators for a few bucks on Amazon and in drugstores. When it comes to the vaporizer, Caleb uses a 50w battery and a tank with nicotine-free juice. It’s up to you which combination you will use. However, make sure that the battery is 15w or higher – because that will give you plenty of smoke. You can find second-hand vaporizers on Ebay if you don’t already use one. Since you will only need it for shooting, it doesn’t matter if it’s used. This is the same technique used in the larger smoke machines, and if you need a small amount of smoke that’s easy to manage- this is the way to do it.

Now… let’s make some smoke!

Creating smoke is quick and easy with these two props. Squeeze the nose sucker and stick it in the vaporizer. Press the button on the vaporizer to create smoke, which will gradually fill the sucker.

When the nose sucker is full of smoke, it’s time to add it to your subjects for shooting or filming. The narrow tube creates beautiful, thin stream of smoke you can easily control and distribute around the subject.

Since the smoke from the vaporizer tends to stay low, you can gently place your hand on top of it, and then lift it up. This will make the smoke move upwards. But I find it very mystic and beautiful when it glides along the table surface, too.

How can you use this smoke effect?

This effect is suitable for all kinds of product photos and videos when you want to add some drama and mystery. It can work fantastic when filmed in slow-motion, either for product videos or B-rolls. I haven’t tried it, but I suppose it can work for food photos as well. You can try it when you want to create the effect of steaming hot food. After all, it’s up to you to experiment. Smoke is pretty photogenic, so you can also make all kinds of abstract shots with it. Try it out, have fun, and let us know how it worked.

[Simple DIY Smoke for Videos and Photos | DSLR Video Shooter]