There’s something about movement in an image that captures my attention … what I’m thinking about in particular is a flame burning or steam coming from a hot cup of deliciousness. My favorite would be a hot cup of tea … Capturing the steam isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do. I’ll tell you my strategy and maybe you’ll want to try it yourself.

First of all, you want to plan out your set up for the photograph. Get all of your props ready and in place. Maybe in the meantime be heating up your water. I chose a dark background for my photo … just a wooden chair in this case … so that the steam would show up better.

Take a couple of test shots to make sure everything such as the lighting, the placement of the mug in the image, the camera settings, etc, is going to come out the way you want it. When you’re ready, pour the water into the cup. Focus on the rim of the cup and start taking shots. If there isn’t enough steam coming out of the cup, move the water a bit and it will create more steam.

My camera settings for the hot tea were f/2.5, 1/125, ISO 400.

The other movement that I like to capture is a burning flame. This is easier to capture, because there isn’t a whole lot of thought or planning necessary. Just set up your scene and light your candle (make sure you don’t have any cloth draping to close to the flame!)

My camera settings for the burning candle were f/1.8, 1/180, ISO 100.

And there you have it … hmmm … I think I’m just going to make myself a cup of hot tea, light myself a candle, grab a book have a little soul break for myself. We all need them, don’t we!

You might want to do the same … 🙂 Enjoy your day!

C