I just attempted for the first time to take a picture of steam rising from a hot cup of tea. I had no idea how hard it would be. I ended up using a lamp to light the cup from the side and I took the picture in an otherwise low light room. I got a couple of decent shots but here is the one I posted.
Please share your steamy shots and your tricks for how you got it.
Thanks!
nice steam! it is very difficult to get it just right - steam is a lot different than smoke, and a lot more light reactive because it is water particles. This is one that I really like because it was dew heated by the sun and burning off the bushes in the yard.
I also did this one for a school project on sound awhile back - I used the ambient light in my kitchen and a small speedlight flash bounced off the ceiling.
@sdpace Thanks for sharing. I like both of yours. The steamy bushes I can imagine would be even omer difficult to capture. I like the tea pot idea. I may have to practice with that one.
@jaimeratchford Hi there! Here are a couple I took last year.... someone did a similar question to yours a while back and I think the conclusion was that the shots came out best if there was a good play of light and shadow... hope that makes more sense than it looks typed out! I darkened the contrast on both of these (if I remember correctly) and obviously added a colour tint to the 2nd which I thought brought out the patterns. Happy experimenting!
I used VERY hot liquid, made sure there was a dark background where the steam was, and pointed a fan at it to make it have an interesting swirl. I used a speedlite, bouncing it off the ceiling.
I was shooting from inside the pool and trying to position her in a way that the trees shaded the morning light enough to pick up the steam. A little post-processing helped draw that out a little better too.
I hope it shows here. Only "steam" pic I've ever taken. On one of our hikes. This burned tree was steaming as the sun warmed it. Almost looked like it was still smoldering from when it was burned years ago.
Write a Reply
Sign up for a free account or Sign in to post a comment.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
I also did this one for a school project on sound awhile back - I used the ambient light in my kitchen and a small speedlight flash bounced off the ceiling.
Mine are all pure luck