For sure a breath of fresh air as most images here are of the landscape variety - mine included! I have always wanted to take images like this but never learned the skills to do so. It certainly isn't too late but my learning capabilities are getting rusty. There is a fair amount of this type of imagery at FM where there are a lot of very talented photographers.Small objects from everyday life I like to look at in detail. I look for shapes, colors, materials and interesting angles in connection with light. Very often I then see details in a completely different context.
In factual photography, objects must be described photographically factual well. In product photography there is a little more freedom, in particular I can include other things in the picture that support the main character. In still life, practically everything is allowed, I do not even have to depict the actual object in its entirety to put it in my picture in a big way. So then happened with a small coffee cup that I found on the street.
Real steam or smoke from liquids is very problematic because it contains water and "always" looks dirty when backlit. Therefore, it is a good idea to create it differently.
This kind of smoke knows everyone unconsciously. It arises exactly at the moment when a candle goes out and a plume rises from the wick. So it must not burn but only glow. In the past, we simply took some tobacco for something like that. But that was a start-stop-pity action as I had to find out. Tobacco seems to have additives today (just like cigarettes) so that it goes out if you don't pull on it. I then experimented for a while with different materials - the best were my paper tear-off rolls from the gastro area. With it a small bead twisted and brought to glow, went in the direction of my ideas.
Due to the position of the cup, the cup itself achieves a certain dynamic and what is even more important - the smoke can rise in the right place. In the cup itself you need a small chimney (eg a small twisted aluminum paper roll) which is then attached with adhesive paste in the cup.
...and of course I like (as always) very graphic images.
Gruß Gerd
View attachment 206890
Great Image......
Victor B.