talenthouse - ALL CREATIVE

Some of the coolest work to come through Talenthouse is without a doubt by Stoffel de Roover, a self-taught photographer who has become a master of smoke and mirrors. No, he isn’t an illusionist, but a dedicated and talented artist whose favorite technique involves manipulating smoke into amazing shapes. His experiments range from the intricate weavings of smoke trails–abstract shapes reminiscent of Rorschach blots–to both fantastical and life-like forms.

Stoffel, a “Montreal based fashion and portrait photographer,” recently extended an invitation to all Talenthouse artists to participate in a Member Invite he hosted on the topic of smoke photography. The results were very impressive, capturing what is amazing about this creative niche in photography: smoke’s ethereality as unique, fleeting moments incapable of being repeated.

Stoffel was kind enough to answer some questions for Talenthouse. Read the interview below and take a close look at his photographs. What do you see emerging from the smoke?

TH: You recently hosted a Member Invite on the Talenthouse site with many impressive submissions. How was it collaborating with other members in the community?
Stoffel: For me it was an amazing experience. Smoke photography is an artistic project for me. As an artist it is really great to hear that people like your work, and in a way the fact that other artists feel inspired by my work, take their time, and use their talent to create something that they would not have created otherwise, is inspirational for me. It must be like a singer or band whose music gets covered for the first time by other artists…Smoke photography is quite abstract and I have been focusing on seeing/finding/showing recognizable shapes in my pictures, so on another level it was extremely interesting as well to have a visual representation of what other people perceived and how they interpreted it.

TH: Do you have subjects, a location, or a theme you like to photograph best, to which you find yourself returning to shoot?
Stoffel: Smoke photography is a recurring project of mine. Sometimes months and months go by, but then I will feel that pull again to shoot smoke and discover its beauty. I really enjoy shooting people as well, from documenting events, to personal portraits, to fashion photography. Photography as a whole is something that keeps pulling at me..

TH: From where did this idea for photographing smoke come?
Stoffel: In 2007 I read an online tutorial on how to shoot smoke trails, with beautiful pictures by Graham Jeffery. I decided to try it out and when looking through the pictures of that first shoot, I found a picture in which the smoke looked like a woman…I then started looking for other interesting shapes in the other pictures, and next shoots, and I did find other shapes I found very interesting…that kept me going, and made me focus on that sub-genre of smoke photography if you will.

TH: Though obviously not a living thing, smoke seems a bit unwieldy to control. How different is it to photograph smoke vs. shooting a person/model?

Stoffel: Some people ask me to make a smoke picture of a cat, or another animal or so…but that’s not how it works for me. I first shoot the smoke, then look for the shapes within those pictures. While there are certain techniques to alter how the smoke behaves, it is not something you can control, you can’t just ask the smoke to do this or that.

In shooting with people, there is a connection and interaction that is not possible with an inanimate object. I really enjoy working with people as well, and create pictures together, either with pre-set results in mind, or go with the moment and see where it leads us in terms of pictures.

TH: What are some of the creative highlights of the past year for you?
Stoffel: I worked with and for some amazing people in the last year working on a catalog, working with different designers on their collections, some creative shoots, etc.  I also had the chance to take pictures of Maroon 5 at a private concert in January (coincidentally, I participated in the Maroon 5 contest here on Talenthouse last year, but didn’t make it).

For my smoke photography the project here on Talenthouse was a highlight, and I hope to continue with that project and some day make it into a book and/or exhibition.

TH: What projects are you currently working on?
Stoffel: Many things going on at the same time.. Finalizing some work on the collection of a designer, preparing a catalog shoot for a wholesaler, working on the pictures of a fashion show, working on some smaller and some private photo shoots, etc. Also, this month a hotel in Boston will be installing one of my smoke pictures, over 6ft in size, so I’m looking forward to seeing that and be able to share it.

TH: If you could have a photo opportunity with any person at any location in the world, who and where would you shoot?
Stoffel: I don’t think there is just one person or location I would absolutely want to shoot so much more than all the rest, I’d rather have an ongoing ‘free pass’ to shoot where and who I’d want to shoot..

Check out Stoffel’s website Lumendipity, where you can browse more of his smoke photography, as well as his other photography projects. Thanks goes to Stoffel de Roover from all of us at Talenthouse.