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Apogee Photo Magazine

The Glamour Photographer's Notebook
by Gene Copas

Smokin' Charli

 Sometimes a model shows up for a shoot wearing a costume that just cries out for something a little different in lighting and effects. After seeing the black costume that Charli had selected, I decided to contrast her willowy looks with a kind of "warehouse" feel. But, when you're shooting at Michael's Studio in downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, you had better think ahead.

One reason advance planning is helpful is that Michael's Studio is on the third floor of a unique building in downtown Clarksville, and there are no elevators. When my equipment and I finally reached the top of stairs that seemed to stretch as I climbed higher, I discovered that Michael had painted the floor of his studio with a flat black paint. However, walking in the area had left several footprints. A wet towel would easily have cleaned them up, but they seemed to suit my "warehouse" feel. Still, I wanted to introduce something that would enhance the "industrial" feel. Luckily I had brought along a smoke generator.

Smoke Generator Substitutes

Now, if I had been shooting in Atlanta or Los Angeles, I might have been able to find a place to buy or rent a smoke generator on short notice, but I wouldn't have known where to begin to look in Clarksville. Over the years, I've tried various ways to get good smoke or fog effects on my own with little in the way of results. I tried an aerosol can product called "Diffusion, Cloud in a Can." In spite of the promising name, it didn’t give me the billowing clouds that I wanted, and the effect dissipated quickly. I also tried the old method of putting dry ice in a bucket of water. However, the fog or smoke it created tended to hug the floor and wasn't satisfactory, either.

Some time ago, I read an article in a photo magazine that said you could use a garden fogger (commonly used to get rid of mosquitoes) and the fog fluid sold for movie effects to make your own smoke generator. I bought an electric garden fogger and some of the fluid. There were two problems: First, the durn thing was noisy! It produced an irritating "growling" sound. Second, as the unit heated up, it developed a pronounced "burnt" odor. This side effect may not have been noticeable for anyone working outdoors using bug juice, but in the studio it was very unpleasant.

The Final Answer

A few months back in a musician's catalog, I came across a great deal on a small smoke generator, and I couldn't pass it up. The Little Dragon Smoke Generator was listed for a bargain price of one hundred dollars. I decided to call to ask a few questions. First, I asked, "Is it quiet"? "Yes, it is." Second, I asked, "Does it smell"? "Well, all fog fluids that I've tried have a little odor to them, and I wouldn't want to use them for extremely long periods." But I didn't get the obnoxious burnt odor again. The unit also featured a cord-connected remote control that allowed the photographer or an assistant to trigger the fog from outside the picture area. Perfect.

As for maintenance, I've left the fluid in the unit for extended periods of time with no adverse effects to its operation. The manufacturer notes that the operator can remove the nozzle for cleaning, if necessary. This is a slightly complicated procedure, since the nozzle is brass and is surrounded by a plastic heat shield. You have to use a pair of pliers and some sort of soft protection to keep from damaging the brass. Until my unit starts putting out a reduced smoke cloud, I don't think I'll try cleaning it.

It is necessary for the unit to heat up for about ten to fifteen minutes before it's ready to use, but a "ready" light conveniently lets you know when the unit has reached operating temperature. Interestingly, as the unit heats up, it emits little short puffs of smoke on its own, and there are whiffs of smoke that leak from the nozzle. However, once the unit has reached its operating temperature, this independent emission ceases, and smoke is discharged only when you trigger the switch on the remote control.

Details of the Shoot

Setting up my shot of Charli was fairly easy. Michael's Studio has a fairly large shooting area: a white painted area for high key work and, on an opposite wall, a black wall and floor. I arranged my lighting using three units. A large softbox provided front lighting. I placed a second strobe, with a strip softbox, behind the smoke generator to illuminate the smoke and provide backlighting on Charli. I wanted to give shape and texture to her black costume and to separate her from the background. To impart some variation in color to the smoke, I added a blue color correction gel on the backlight. This allowed the smoke to change subtly from blue to yellow across the background. I situated the third light high to Charli's left to give her hair light and to give her costume some separation on that side. I metered exposure off the large front softbox and gave a reading of F8 on ASA 100film.

(I might explain that color correction gels are generally used to make subtle changes in color balance. In video or motion picture work, a blue gel is used to change tungsten lights to balance with daylight coming in from a window. Or, you might filter your flash with a thirty green to match cool white (CW) fluorescents in a large office setting. Color effect gels are used to create theatrical and dramatic lighting. They're usually much denser and impart a deeper color than correction gels.)

A Little Advice

Some things to keep in mind when using a smoke generator: Make your smoky shots the last photos in your session, if possible. After ten or fifteen minutes of smoke "blasts," your studio will resemble happy hour at a heavy smokers' bar! The whole room will be foggy. If you can't simply vacate the studio for the rest of the day after your smoke shots, you'll need a good way to vent the air. Even a window exhaust fan or a fan set in a doorway will take many minutes to clear all the smoke out. So, allow adequate time before your next appointment.

As a "traveling" photographer, I have to plan ahead. However, I'm always looking for new ideas. (That's not exactly right. I'm not sure there are any "new" ideas.) Over the years, I've built an idea file. Some of the items in my file are photos that other photographers have done that I really admire. Some are drawings, paintings, or cartoons that offer great posing ideas. I wander through discount stores, department stores, and fabric stores on a regular basis. As I wander, I find new materials, hats, accessories, and other decorations that excite my imagination. However, even when I'm using someone else's work for an idea, I always try to execute the idea differently to impart my own unique vision and style to my product.

I've been in this business for over forty years, and I still attend workshops and seminars to learn from others--many times from participants who are much younger than I am. Recently, I was discussing a fine art photography workshop that I was presenting, and the photographer I was talking to responded by saying, "I don't need a workshop." It is my fervent hope that I will always feel ready to learn something new or try something different. I believe you must continue to challenge yourself.

Creativity isn't about spending lavish amounts of money on equipment, props, or costumes. What creativity is about is stimulating your imagination. Work with your models. If you're content to do the same photos that you did yesterday, you'll wake up one day with all of your clients gone someplace else. But, if you emulate some of the best and most revered names in our business, you'll learn, create, innovate, change, and have a whole lot of fun!

Who is Gene Copas?

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