We’ve made some wild custom videos through the years and smoking fetish videos are among some of the most requested customs. Many things go into producing this fetish and it’s important for us to get it all right. Here are some of the things we think about when producing the smoking fetish.

Lighting
Perhaps the most important aspect of a smoking video is simply getting the lighting right. Since we’ve found the perfect model for you, have a great makeup artist, and a great location, it all amounts to a big zero unless the actual smoke can be seen on camera. And that means proper lighting.

Smoking Fetish Videos

Generally, for smoking videos, a strong backlight is appropriate — that is, a strong source of light coming from behind the model, so that it lights up the smoke from behind, relative to where the camera is. Of course, we’ll need to see the model as well, so we need to make sure to light her from the front with a key light or two, and usually from the side, or at an angle, using a fill light or two. But balancing all three of those lighting types — key, fill, and back — while important, is not usually nearly important to the smoking fetishist as seeing the actual smoke itself.

Outdoor lighting is generally really bad for shooting a smoking fetish video, especially if the sun is high in the sky, such as at noon or the early afternoon.

Background
It’s also important that the background of the scene is not too “busy” or complex. Otherwise, the smoke gets “lost” in the patterns. We tend to avoid ornate wallpaper, patterned backdrops, and white backgrounds (unless we’re getting really creative with the light.) Also, the deeper the “depth of field,” the more distracting the background is, especially for smoke fetishists looking to see smoke. We focus on the “plane” where the model(s) are standing or sitting, and then maybe only 1 or 2 feet behind them maximum. The smoke coming off of their lips is in focus if they are, and if the smoke tends to blow backwards, it’s can be just as sexy. The blend of the focused smoke and the unfocused smoke can add to the overall “look.”

Ventilation
It might not need to be said, but if you’re in an indoor studio shooting your smoking fetish video, you might want to make sure you’ve got adequate ventilation, especially if you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke. Typically, most rental stages will let productions having smoking actors or models, but when it comes to crew, at least here in LA, stages and soundstudios generally frown on allowing crew members to smoke inside their facilities. If you’re shooting at home or at a small studio, keep the windows open. You might want to avoid a fan, however, except for in between takes, due to the fact that fans blow the smoke around in a way that is absolutely not sexy.

Continuity
Many smoking fetish videos feature a model smoking one single cigarette for the duration of the cigarette. If we’re doing one long take, that’s fine. But if we’re shooting a video that requires multiple angles or takes, there’s nothing more jarring than seeing a cigarette that was 1″ long in one shot suddenly become 3″ long in a shot that’s supposed to be immediately after.

Sub-niches
Smoking fetishists aren’t all alike. They run the gamut: blondes smoking, brunettes, thin cigarettes, thick cigarettes, 100s, cigars, lipstick, smoking girls kissing, you name it. Smoking, just like any fetish, is important to get right when capturing it on video.