Want to add a bit of atmosphere to your pictures? Then you could add a bit of smoke in photos. One way is to hire a smoke machine, but a more economical way is a simple bee-gun (0r bee-smoker) that bee-keepers use to get into their hives. This burns hessian rags or better still in my opinion, incense, which you get from any Catholic or high church C of E stockists. This has the effect of creating a pleasantly sacred air to your pictures that may or may not be conducive to relaxing your models – my experience has been always positive on this score.

The bee gun creates a lot of smoke over a period of time as long as you keep topping it up with carbon tabs and incense – the set will smell lovely! But beware, the gun gets very hot indeed! So in an interior give some thought  beforehand as to where you are going to put it down.
Bee smokers rust like crazy so better invest in a stainless steel one. You can use kindling but best of all are impregnated carbon pellets with a saucer shaped dip to hold the incense (if you go down the sacred road).

With smoke on the set you have to photograph towards the light source to get the effect.

Suppliers to the film industry stock all you need or else Apiarist (beekeeping) suppliers,  surprise, surprise. These latter are more ubiquitous than you might think.
A cheaper and instant alternative is the spray smoke canister. Called ‘Smoky‘ and available from Condor Foto in Milan. They have a perfectly horrible website,  but they are, despite appearances, quite efficient:
Condor Foto

 

bee-gun. bee-smoker, smoke, smoke in photography