Up in Smoke Photography: How to Take Perfect Vape Cloud Photos

Are you passionate about creating photos? Well, you aren’t alone. If you’re as passionate about your camera as you are about vaping, you may want to consider using vapor as a subject for your photography.

There are many great reasons to photograph vaping. Chief among these reasons, however, is the audience and interested in vaping. Read on to learn more about how you can create great vaping photos and how you can turn your vaping masterpieces into an amazing career.

Fasten your seatbelts, grab your mod, and get ready to learn everything you’ll need to know about vape photography.

Picking a Location

The location you choose for your shot should say something. A great picture is worth a thousand words, so use your location to help further your narrative.

The first step is deciding just what it is that you want your photo to say.

This could mean picking a location that says something about the story you’re trying to tell. For instance, if you want to profile how the crackdown on e-cigarettes is unfairly impacting the vaping community, choose an area where vaping is up for dispute.

If you want to profile why vaping has made it easier than ever to quit, pick an environment where vaping is commonly used in place of cigarettes.

There have been decades of beautiful photos in sexy environments, like jazz clubs or cafes. You can create a beautiful narrative for your photo by recreating famous photos with vaping used in the place of a cigarette.

Lighting is Everything

Lighting is everything when it comes to capturing great photos. This is especially the case for photos where you’ll want to highlight e-cigarette vapor.

Fortunately, a great lighting setup doesn’t have to break the bank. LED lights, ring lights, and pro photo options like the AlienBee are readily available online.

Studio strobe lights like the Alien Bee are very helpful in creating even light within your photos. These typically retail between $200-$300. If you're looking to pick up a studio strobe for less, you may want to start your search on eBay.

If you want to get creative, consider using gels to highlight your environment. Gels can add amazingly beautiful colors to your environment to give you photos that extra something. These can be added to your studio strobe to create bright and colorful looks.

Mess around with gels until you find the right combination to highlight your subject. Gels come in many colors, but you don’t have to use bright colors every time.

Orange and yellow are two of the most commonly used gels in photography. This can help you create a warmer atmosphere in your photos.

That said, there are no rules. You can use as much or as little color as you’d like. Mess around until you find your own signature setup!

What To Buy

When working with smoke (or vapor) it’s helpful to have a controllable flash and a high-quality camera. If you’re just starting out, however, you may choose to wait on purchasing a DSLR camera.

If you are fortunate enough to afford the DSLR camera of your dreams, you’ll want to make sure you’re shooting in manual focus. This is necessary so you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed as needed to capture stunning vape clouds.

You may also want to consider investing in a backdrop. Because clouds are white, you’ll likely want to invest in a dark-colored backdrop. This will aid in highlighting the cloud produced by creating contrast.

In addition to your photography equipment, you'll also need access to some high-end vape mods. The Suorin Air is a great example of a highly photographable mod. The Suorin Air can also produce the beautiful clouds you're looking for to help you get your cloud photography noticed.

Get Your Photos Seen by the Vape Nation

Once you’ve created a jaw-dropping photo, it’s time to get it seen. It’s easier than ever to get Instafamous with vape photography. When you share your content online you can gain a worldwide audience for your work.

You’ll want to share your work across multiple platforms to ensure that your work receives the broadest audience possible. If you want to further grow your fan base, you may want to consider reaching out to influencers who have a strong following within your niche.

Picking subjects that have a following within the vaping niche is always a good choice. This is especially the case if you specialize in vape photography. Why?

When an influencer following mirrors your own target demographic, you’ll see a much higher rate of return. This happens when a member of the influencer's audience clicks your page tag.

If the users see content on your page that reflects their interests, they’re far more likely to follow your page. This can translate into more likes, more followers, and better opportunities for your career in photography.

To find the appropriate hashtags for your photography, search for some of your favorite vaping influencers. Create a master list of hashtags that you see them use frequently. You can use this list as your guide when adding hashtags to your own work.

Working with Influencers to Grow Your Vape Photography Business

These influencers require a steady stream of content to maintain their base. Because of this, you’ll be surprised by just how many influencers may be open to shooting with you for free.

This concept is known as TFP. TFP is an acronym that most influencers are already familiar with. TFP stands for ‘trade for photos’. This term means that a model or Influencer is willing to pose (and in some cases, guarantee a tagged placement on their page) in exchange for the content you’ll provide.

This can also be a helpful option if you want to save money on purchasing a wide array of vape mods. If an influencer has access to their own collection, you can encourage them to bring their own units along with them.

Influencers love quick turn arounds, so you'll want to ensure that you get your edits completed quickly. The more people you work with the more likely you'll be to get hired for paid shoots.

Using Influencers to Promote Paid Shoots

Another partnership idea that you can use to grow your photography includes another kind of influencer partnership. If you work with an influencer on a trade for photo exchange and the partnership seems to work great, it may be time to offer them another option.

Talk to your favorite subject about hosting a shoot together. This concept can be a great opportunity for you to up your online marketing game! They would be expected to provide model coaching and promote the shoot on their social media page. Together you can work to collect paid clients and split the profits. 

While this may sound like an unfair exchange initially, the targetted marketing that they can provide is incredibly valuable. By partnering with a big name influencer, you can also solicit brands to sponsor your shoot.

This may mean providing some of your professionally content for the brand in exchange for product or payment. Working together, you can make your photoshoots a financial success with paid clients and brands that underwrite your location or shoot expenses.

Shooting multiple clients at a time is a great way to lower your location expenses and create a greater sense of urgency with clients. Choosing a date for your shoot gives clients the motivation to book. They're sure to want in on the action!

Looking to Learn More About Vape Photography?

If you're looking to learn more about vape photography, be sure to visit our website. We host lots of informative content designed to help you navigate the internet of things.

Browse our online resource library to learn more and learn everything you need to help get your vape photography noticed. We're here to help!