Smoke photography without flash?

[Nick Guile]

Has anybody had success with smoke photography without using a flash? I know it needs a lot of light on the smoke, and none (or as little as possible) on the background but I haven't been able to get anything good so far..

[Juliette Packham]

I've always used a flash....

[Kimmi]

No flash:

[DavidCHR]

I have... using a pretty powerful LED torch shining through the smoke at 90º to the camera.



(edit: at 90º, but also a bit above camera level, angled downwards... know what I mean?)

[Krissy]

No flash, and backlit. I had the candle in front of a window.