You do not need a dramatic location to create a dramatic photograph. What you need is the right combination of light, colour and atmosphere. And in this fourth tutorial of the Something from Nothing series, Neil Redfern brings all three together in a setup that produces images so striking, it is genuinely hard to believe they were taken in a garage.

Using a smoke machine, a set of coloured gels on his background lights and his signature layered off-camera flash approach, Neil walks through the complete process from scratch. Starting with his layer one settings and building the rig one light at a time, he introduces the smoke only once everything else is already dialled in. The result is a masterclass in patience, process and creative experimentation. And in the final chapter, Neil adds a large handheld aura filter into the mix for a bonus creative variation that produces images he describes as genuinely surprising even to him.

Once again shot with model Olga in Neil's garage, this tutorial proves for the fourth time in this series that creativity has absolutely nothing to do with where you are shooting.

This is the tutorial that will make smoke machines a permanent part of your creative kit. 🌫️

Top 5 Things You Will Learn

1. Which smoke machine to use and why it matters: Neil shares his honest experience of testing two smoke machines side by side, including exactly why he recommends one over the other and the practical difference it makes when you are in the middle of a shoot.
2. How to build a three-light gel setup from scratch: Follow Neil's step-by-step method of building a warm and cool contrasting gel setup with multiple lights behind the subject, including how he sets and checks each light individually before combining them for the final look.
3. Working with smoke: timing, density and practical challenges: Discover the specific techniques Neil uses to get the most out of a smoke machine during a shoot, including when to introduce the smoke, how long to run it and why the very first burst is often the most effective.
4. Why the layered approach is essential for complex setups: Understand how Neil's layer-by-layer method for building off-camera flash photographs becomes even more important when you are juggling three lights, coloured gels and a smoke machine at the same time.
5. Adding creative filters for a bonus variation: See how Neil incorporates a large handheld aura filter into the final chapter of the shoot, and learn how experimenting with additional creative tools at the end of a session (when your settings are already locked in) is one of the best ways to push your work somewhere unexpected.

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