I’ve been dying to try out smoke bomb photography. I’ve been inspired by so many amazing photos with vividly colored smoke. It adds such an interesting element to a photo. Thankfully, my wonderful model, Katie Earles, was down to help me try this out even knowing I had no experience with it. I purchased the smoke bombs we used online here. They were well packaged and arrived quickly. I bought a 6 pack of different colored Enola Gay micro smoke bombs, this is a commonly used brand with great reviews as well as vivid colors. In addition, I bought a couple 5 packs of some cheap “fountain” smoke bombs on the same website.

Seeing all the photos others have done on Instagram, this seemed like it would be pretty easy. This way of thinking is exactly how we get on those lovely “nailed it” memes from Pinterest. Well I’m here to report that it’s not as easy as it looks. There are a lot of factors I didn’t really think of beforehand. I absolutely want to try this again now that I’ve had some experience with it.

Here are 10 things to keep in mind if you’re going to try using smoke bombs to create your own awesome images:

1 – You’re basically playing with fireworks here so be careful! When you pull the wire out or light the fuse there will be some sparks at first so hold it away from you. Also, don’t put your thumb over the top to brace as you pull out the wire. You’ll get a nasty burn like my poor husband Owen who’s still kicking himself for that smooth move.

2 – Having at least one assistant is important. Especially if you’d like to have certain effects such as, a wall of smoke behind your model. I brought along my lovely assistant/husband. He was super helpful!

3 – These smoke bombs only last for about a minute. You have to be well prepared to snap those shots as soon as the smoke starts. Spray and pray!

4 – You’ll want to have your shutter speed around 400+ to really get the desired look. You want to freeze the smoke. You’ll want your model moving for that minute so you can get some variety in your shots.

5 – The smoke is going where the wind blows it. I would suggest shooting on a day with no wind if possible. Here in Abilene Texas the wind is a friend that comes along to most of my sessions. It can be still out like it was earlier that day then, bam! hello wind… so nice of you to join us again. If you go out to do this and it’s super windy, I would totally reschedule. You don’t want to waste your smoke bombs because good ones aren’t cheap.

6 – Inhaling the smoke is not so fun for your lungs. The three of us all did it at some point during the session. Also, I was still smelling it later that night.

7 – The nicer smoke bombs really are worth the money. They provide more vivid smoke, you can hold them because they’re designed not to get too hot, and you don’t need a lighter. The fountain type we got need to be lit and have a warning label that says not to hold them in your hand because they get hot. Also, those got colored residue all over Owen’s hands.

8 – We bought a cheap lantern intended for candles with glass windows. We got double sided tape and put in a blue fountain smoke bomb, standing on a piece. I thought it could be cool. It wasn’t necessarily a bad idea but something we didn’t think of…. the glass was stained blue from the powder in the smoke. If I were to do it again, I would plan to stick to one specific color or maybe try removing the glass. Still glad we gave it a shot. We all had a good laugh while trying that out.

9 – Bring along a bag for the trash. You’ll want to throw away the empty smoke bombs, caps, and wires. Way easier to carry if you have several with you and you’re walking around.

10 – I got “micro” size smoke bombs because I wasn’t sure about what size would work best. If I ever do this again, I will get full sized ones. More smoke produces a cooler effect. They also sell some double ended ones that I think would be great.

After all was said and done, I think I managed to get some really cool photos out of this. It was a lot of fun, too!

Aside from using the smoke bombs I also just wanted to get some great portraits for Katie. She’s a beautiful girl and I wanted to capture her personality in the images. We even got some fun shots of her with her Jeep.

If you decide to try out smoke bomb photography, I’d love to see your pictures!! You can click the buttons below to follow me on my social media. Comment below and tell me about your experience using smoke bombs or if you have questions about anything I may have forgotten to mention.