Casting a Spell
This photograph began as a study of how to capture smoke in an image. How hard could that be? Plenty, I discovered. I decided that a candle jar would be the best source for the smoke, so I’d light the candle, snuff it out and then click the shutter. But the wisps of smoke just weren’t dense enough, so after several fruitless tries I decided to extinguish the flame by closing the lid and letting the smoke build up before opening the lid. Much better, but still needed more tries to get a pattern of smoke that looked right… something along the lines of organized chaos.
With that minor accomplishment, the idea crossed my mind that I could add the smoke to something and actually make a picture of interest. So I added the doll. But one idea often leads to another… the doll needed some props, so I added the photos of the tea cup and vase. As the idea of “casting a spell” matured in my mind, I decided the finishing touch was a pair of rings so that the spell might have something to do with romance. Most of my pictures are pre-visualized to the extent that I have a pretty good idea of what the finished image should look like before clicking the shutter. This photo was the total opposite. I’m even happy with it having been called creepy, as that indeed fits my intention for the photo.
Nikon D800E. The base image of the candle and smoke was shot at F/20, 1/250 sec, 24-120 lens at 70mm.