thank you for your comments!
actually, i should have described my intention with this photo... i have tought that smoke is one of those amazingly difficult things to catch on camera. when it curls about; when it's lit in the right way, it seems quite fluid and alive-- like some kind of ethereal snake winding its way about the air. embers-- they are my second favorite thing; but smoke and embers? capturing the two together in an inoking way is quite difficult i think...though photographing incense sticks may be the easiest way to get both in ample lighting