ePHOTOzine has many smoke photographs like this uploaded in the gallery each year. It is a simple technique to do but a difficult one to do well, because the smoke has a mind of its own. To set up this kind of shot you need the camera on a tripod with an off camera flash positioned to one side. It helps if the background is black and a piece of velvet material can be used to absorb the light fully. The smoke is created by lighting an incense stick and letting it burn. The smoke trail will be upright if the room is draft free, so you need to create a small draft by gentle wafting your hand a second or two before the exposure. Then, when the smoke is bending and curving, take a shot. Take plenty of shots because it is not easy to get one with a perfectly smooth and interesting trail. Waft too much and the smoke will become too dispersed. Patience, as they say, is a virtue!