Thursday 13 November 2014

Alternate photography elements - Smoke Bombs

I have been approached by my photographer to discuss the idea of smoke bombs today. Below are the images she sent to me regarding the idea of using them;

 The bombs can be seen in many naturalistic photoshoots, including that of Kirsty Williams (see separate post for reference).
It can be considered they will apply a mythical smog on the images, which will work to add colour and will create a 'film' on the images which has the potential to be effective on our shoots. We have agreed to trial them, but making sure we have enough shots of each look without them incase this fails. Purple, red and white are the colours purchased - the red will dim to a pink shade which will be more appropriate for our feminine narrative.We also have already contacted Martin, who we have arranged our location with, and he has confirmed we are able to use the smoke bombs, in open areas and with careful consideration to members of the public, this is something that will be monitored thoroughly on the day.
I also looked into the chemical formula which is combined in the bombs, as I was interested in the chemicals we would be burning. Below is the definition from google, along with the homemade methods that can be used to create them at home.
"The smoke bomb was first created in 1848, by British inventor Robert Yale. He developed 17th-century Chinese-style fireworks and later modified the formula to produce more smoke for a longer period of time.
Colored smoke devices use a formula that consists of an oxidizer (typically potassium chlorate, KClO3), a fuel (generally sugar), a moderate (such as sodium bicarbonate) to keep the reaction from getting too hot, and a powdered organic dye. The burning of this mixture evaporates the dye and forces it out of the device, where it condenses in the atmosphere to form a "smoke" of finely dispersed particles.
Home-made smoke bombs are usually created in two ways. The first way involves cutting up celluloid material—today the main remaining use of celluloid is ping pong balls—placing the small pieces inside an aluminium wrapping or canister, and igniting them. This practice is widely recognized to be a health hazard. Mixing the chemicals KNO3(potassium nitrate) and sugar while lightly heating the mixture until it comes to a peanut-butter-like consistency can also provide fuel for smoke-bombs." - Wikipedia.

No comments:

Post a Comment