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Ethereal Swirls of Smoke Photographed by Bohman+Sjöstrand Photography

By Ellyn Kail on September 10, 2014

With a passion for all things natural and elemental, photography duo Bohman+Sjöstrand Photography capture ethereal wisps of smoke flittering against black black and white backdrops. Rising from a mysterious and unidentifiable source, the transient, misty shapes toe the line between the organic and the manmade, the tangible and the imaginary.

In order to capture the fleeting clouds of smoke at just the right moment, the artists often must take hundreds of photographs over the course of a single shoot. In a carefully monitored studio setting, they create smoke by lighting cigars and by introducing chemical smoke, the shape of which is determined by the speed at which air pumps into glass tubes. The duo explains that the hue of the smoke is determined by its temperature; smoke from a hotter object, for example, is tinged with blue, while a cooler item will produce yellowish smoke. Says Bohman+Sjöstrand, “the shapes and textures that can be found [in nature] are still among the most beautiful imaginable.”

All photos featured in this post can be found on Offset, a new curated collection of high-end commercial and editorial photography and illustration from award-winning artists around the world. Offset is an exclusive category channel partner on Feature Shoot.