They’re also heavily used in paintball and airsoft, and some other quasi-combat games. The best ones I’ve used are sold by a company called Enola Gay, and they

They’re also heavily used in paintball and airsoft, and some other quasi-combat games. The best ones I’ve used are sold by a company called Enola Gay, and they advertise simultaneously to photographers (as you said) and paintball/airsoft users. They’re really fun, ring-pull devices and produce a truly impressive amount of smoke for minutes at a time. The first time I used one I giggled like a kid.