Smoke

I guess one of the things that has intrigued most of us since we were independently mobile enough to be warned not to get too close to it, is fire.  Who hasn’t sat mesmerised by the cavorting flames or stared into the embers looking for answers to life’s burning questions.  Who hasn’t been pursued around a campfire by smoke looking for eyes to water.  (Tip: dry wood only :-). I certainly have enjoyed fire and smoke in the form of incense, sage and palo santo as well as campfires, and vegies cooked in the coals of a winter garden cleanup burn. 

Native peoples of the world have used smoke to cleanse and clear their spaces.  Some Aboriginal Australians use smoke of native plants to cleanse physically and spiritually. As it turns out there may be more to this than as immediately obvious as research has shown that heating the leaves of the berrigan emu bush ( Eremophila longifolia) produces a smoke with significant antimicrobial and anti-fungal effects.  The smoke kills bacterial or fungal pathogens in the air. 

When photographed correctly, smoke can produce some beautiful abstract images. Those of us in whom pareidolia runs strong may also perceive beings and objects of this and other realms. Dinosaurs, demons, dolphins, cellos, aliens, flowers, leaves, cats, birds, and a variety of humanoid shapes are just some of the images emerging from smoke. These are all very impressionistic of course something which allies with my preference for ICM landscapes when let loose in the wild.

Recently I have been collaging smoke images and moving away from the typical coloured smoke on a black background as I learn what is feasible in editing. The gallery shows a few of these. Colour and background texture can have a profound impact on the image mood.

(FTR: I don’t burn things in the wild (fire safety first) but even the stillest days there are wafting breezes that can frustrate your setup - much like campfire smoke actually. )