No Smoke Machine? No problem.
We didn’t have a real budget for this shoot, but I still wanted to generate a real atmosphere. The solution is line chalk. You can buy bottles from most builders yards, and they come in several colours. Total cost? £3. Even better than smoke, chalk dust can be impregnated into hair and material. Even small movements makes it fly off, adding even more drama. You can see the chalk flying off the dancers in some shots in this flickr set.
A couple of thoughts;
- Unlike smoke machine smoke, the dust is going to get everywhere. Don’t keep any spare equipment in the same space if possible
- Likewise, you’ll want to clean your camera and lens thoroughly after shooting
- Also unlike smoke, the chalk will begin to colour the floor where it settles (you can see the effect of red and blue chalk in the above photo)
- it isn’t fun being covered in chalk, so you’ll want to have water and towels around. Also – as pointed out in the comments – disclaimer time: prolonged exposure can be bad for your health (although this seems to be generally regarded as years of exposure).
If you like any of the photos in this set you can buy prints from Etsy.
be sure to wear a mask – is’t that stuff bad for your lungs?
Only after an extended period of time. We only shot for an hour or so, and it settles quite quickly.
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What about breathing in the chalk dust?
I like the atmosphere in these shots a lot–the setting, the use of fabrics as set decor, the light, all that. I like the tip too, but I’m a little afraid of trying it–don’t you leave coughing?
No, it wasn’t particularly bad (even for the dancers). There’s not nearly as much dust in the air as it looks on the shots).