Black Market Cigarettes.

For one of my final images, I am going to produce an image that will demonstrate to my audience in a clear and decisive way what is exactly inside a "fake" cigarette.
By splitting the cigarette in half and filling it up with factory floor sweepings from a tobacco factory. This is what actually goes into "fake"cigarettes

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For this photograph, I chose to use a quite long lens - 55mm - which would give me the right perspective that I wanted for the cigarette and its box to make the right kind of composition.

To produce my image I photographed two images and blended them together, making sure that the settings and lighting were exactly the same for each one.
Stage One.
Load two photographs onto the same canvas but using different layers.
Step Two.
Align the photographs perfectly so that they fit exactly but if not use the scale tool to increase the scale and dimensions.
Step Three.
Remove one side of the photograph, e.g. the cigarette box directly in the middle.
Stage Four.
Use the eraser tool but lower the opacity and remove the edge so that the tobacco and the paper blend together.

A test shot of a scanned in tobacco pack
Here are some of my test props which were my inspiration

Here is some research and the facts I discovered about Black Market cigarettes to get an accurate record of the story Fake cigarettes 'more hazardous'

Can you be sure you know what you're smoking? The growing number of fake cigarettes coming into the UK contain high levels of hazardous substances, the government has warned in a new campaign. The fakes are not only illegal but pose an extra health hazard to smokers buying them, warn ministers. Criminal gangs have the cigarettes made mainly in Eastern Europe and China to look like well-known brands. More than a million fakes - containing high levels of substances like lead and arsenic - are seized daily in the UK. Boycott call The illegal tobacco market grew rapidly during the 1990s, when cigarettes were exported from the UK to avoid tax and then smuggled back in and sold on the black market. A government campaign managed to stem the supply, but the criminal gangs involved have now switched tactics and started manufacturing fake cigarettes, often sold in pubs, on streets or in markets. Smuggled goods now make up 15% of the UK cigarette market. Customs will continue to crack down on this illicit market and the organised criminals who run it Customs minister John Healey The campaign launched on Wednesday is encouraging smokers to boycott the fake goods. Customs minister John Healey said new research showed buying cigarettes from smuggled sources could be "downright dangerous". He told BBC News: "Smoking's bad enough but the risk to people's health from these fake cigarettes is even greater. "These have hugely higher levels of tar, nicotine and some of the cancer-causing chemicals lead and arsenic." He said 85% of cheap cigarettes sold illegally in London, and more than half of all smuggled cigarettes seized nationally, were counterfeit. Fake cigarettes used to be easier to spot as the packets sometimes had foreign writing, did not display health warnings, or spelt a brand name incorrectly, a Customs and Excise officer explained. But now the counterfeits, which replicate many popular brands, have become much more sophisticated. Kidney disease In three London hotspots - Holloway Road, Dalston and Whitechapel - officials found all cigarettes tested were counterfeit. Mr Healey appealed for help from the public in the form of information about where gangs were operating. Independent research carried out at St Andrews University showed fake cigarettes being sold in the UK contained five times as much cadmium as genuine cigarettes. Cadmium can severely damage the lungs and is linked with kidney disease. Fakes also carry nearly six times as much lead, which damages the organs and nervous system, especially in children. High levels of arsenic, which increases the risks of lung, liver and other cancers, were also found, said Customs. Further research by an independent laboratory showed counterfeit cigarettes seized by Customs also contained 160% more tar, 80% more nicotine and 133% more carbon monoxide than genuine cigarettes. The government says any brand can be faked, and many smokers are unaware of the fact cheap cigarettes may not be genuine, nor of the added health risk they contain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4096911.stm Fake fags For the Midlands' smokers the lure of cheap cigarettes may be tempting. But Inside Out can reveal that many are actually fake and contain far higher levels of chemicals than legitimate ones. HM Revenue and Customs seize millions of cigarettes and tonnes of rolling tobacco in the Midlands every year. It's estimated half is actually fake. Staff at parcel centres scan packages that are sent to the UK. Some fakes are smuggled inside toys but imports are scanned and inspected. A high percentage of parcels from China have been found to contain counterfeit cigarettes. Around 14 million a month are seized overall. Fake or real - spot the real thing. However many do go undetected and still make it on to the streets. Often the packs aren't cheap because they're smuggled or duty free, but because they're made of other ingredients - including rat droppings or sawdust. A recent raid in Coventry discovered a haul of 14 million fake cigarettes, and those that go untraced are typically sold on the street or at car boot sales. An estimated 3% of cigarettes smoked in the UK every year are believed to be fake. While some are packaged like the main brands, many originate in the sweatshops of China or Eastern Europe, made for as little as six pence a packet and containing floor sweepings. In Inside Out's report an undercover reporter goes onto the street to see how easy it is to pick up cheap fags. The cigarettes we bought at the car boot sale were real but out of date so still illegal. Those bought on the street were analysed and found to contain three times the level of arsenic than normal cigarettes - so would cause three times the damage. Fakes also contain higher levels of nicotine and cadmium. Can you help? If you have any information about counterfeit cigarettes, you can call Customs Confidential Helpline on 0800 595000. Testing for fake cigarettes. Fact file: counterfeit cigarettes * The Tobacco Manufacturer's Association (TMA) estimate that around £2 billion counterfeit cigarettes were successfully smuggled into the UK in 2006. * In 2006 cigarette consumption was estimated to be 67.5 billion – around 3% of the total was estimated to be counterfeit (source: TMA). * Counterfeit cigarettes come from a variety of illegal factories in countries such as China, the Far East, Russia and Eastern Europe. * All cigarette packs manufactured by the Tobacco Manufacturing Association’s member companies will carry a covert security feature from 1st October 2007. This will allow HM Revenue & Customs to authenticate the cigarette packets on retailers’ shelves. * The security measures are designed to act as a deterrent to any retailer tempted to deal in counterfeit tobacco products * The scheme has been funded by the tobacco industry. * The security feature will also be extended to include pouches of handrolled tobacco from 1st October 2008. * Counterfeit cigarettes are sold through informal networks including street sellers, markets and car boot sales. Genuine cigarette packets. * Counterfeit tobacco products vary in quality and taste. They are unlikely to stick to the standards set down by the UK Government for levels of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide. * HM Revenue & Customs estimate that around £29 billion in revenue has been lost since 2000/1 as a result of smuggling and crossborder shopping. * Counterfeit cigarettes are illegal. * Counterfeit cigarette trading is a highly profitable activity for criminals. Customs estimate that about £2.00 profit is made per pack by smugglers involved in their distribution. * Potential dangers for smokers include higher levels of carcinogens and potentially harmful extra tar. "The UK is being targeted with counterfeit cigarettes. Not to be confused with genuine cigarettes, these fake cigarettes are manufactured illicitly, contain higher levels of toxins than their legal counterparts, and are smuggled into the country by criminal gangs to be sold cheaply nationwide." HM Treasury, 2004. http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2007/11/07/westmidlands_fake_fags_s12_w9_feature.shtml

http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17554359&method=full&siteid=93463&headline=warning-fake-fags-will-kill-you-with-arsenic--cadmium---lead--name_page.html

Fast Food Post Production Image

Here is another artist who uses food photography to construct a miniature world made up of food but in a way that the eye does not recognize straight away
In this photograph Gayle Chong Kwan has created a world totally made out of food.
This architecture of food is reminiscent of the Colisseum in Rome. The fact that the structure is made out of pasta is indicative of the Italian connotations


p 41

I was looking into the way in which other food photographers have represented the food they photographed - especially those photographs concerning meat products.
I looked at Chris Turner's work in "Critical Review Magazine" - the annual edition for 2007.
This photograph shown above is entitled "Split Skin"
The food is here represented in a way that is by no means flattering and the photograph has deep profound meaning. It is possibly posing the question of ethics as to whether or not it is right to eat meat products at all.
This is the style in which I shall photograph

For one of my final images I intend to demonstrate exactly what a poor quality hot dog sausage is made from. I will photograph it in exactly the same way in which a photographed the milk bottle,
Photographing the sausage and replacing the middle section with artificially constructed texture of rotting meat and gristle cleverly placed using opacity and feathering
Clearly demonstrating my point in a very simple and decisive way
Here you can see a rough version of the final texture which is comprized of three images which I hsave selected to use for different key area - for example the bone. Created by using the clone tool at lower opacities to merge the three different textures into one.
For this photograph I used wireless flash to bring out the highlights and shadows to create a very disgusting vew of the carcass. I highlighted the gristle and showed it falling into darkness.

Here are the three images that I am using for the texture of the meat product
I have done some post production on these photographs to bring out the right colour tones to represent them in a way that should be very repulsive to the audience.

Here are the two final images for my post production work
I have chosen to photograph the objects against a white background which helps the audience to concentrate on the object itself as well as making the text quite clearly visible. For example, if it was a set scene, the audience might not pick up the ideas the images so swiftly and clearly as this method of presentation should enable them to do so. Sterility and factuality is denoted as if the object had been photographed in a science lab.

Here you can see the construction of one of my photographs which has been produced by the merging together of two separate completely different photographs. Using flash lighting and making sure the same settings were used to produce two identical photographs
Here are the production stages for all of my four shoots
Step One.
Upload the two images. Make sure that the colour balances are similar and that contrasts and fill lights are exactly their same.
Step Two
Place one of the layers on top of the other
Then, using the selection tool on one of the photographs, select half the side and using feathering mode create a subtle blend
Step Three.
Using the eraser and setting it to below 50 for the opacity and feathered brush
Delete the edge of the photograph to show partly the layer underneath coming through

Here are the settings that I used for the three shoots. I chose to use a high focussed length lens as this would create dramatic dimensions for the photograph I wanted and would also create a smaller background for the exposure of the burnout.
By using a high F stop I was able to retain vast amounts of detail from my subjects and a greater depth of field. As well as using a high shutter speed to reduce the amount of ambient light,
as well as this, using a very low ISO to create more detail as there are less grains.

Here is an example of the set up of the lighting for the three shoots showing milk, orange juice and cigarettes. By setting up two metz flashes at the back at 1 to 1 ratio this created a pure white burnout but by placing the subject at least two to three foot from the burnout this should lead to the bottle becoming under exposed and therefore I used a fill in flash just to highlight the bottle, lit from the top so that no direct shadows were created

In the uk there are 2.1 million cows in the UK

Final Idea for the Series of Images for the Post Production

My concept for the final idea to break down household products to demonstrate what they are actually composed of. Thus, the original source for the product and its final components are made clear through my photograph and shown together in one shot. I will represent the objects against a plain white background to give the impression of a sterile environment in which the product is under analysis. The white background will also help to draw attention to the object itself rather than there being any distracting background details to detract from the subject. The main issue I have to consider is the text and the font as this is the key in anchoring the purpose of the photograph- (so the audience may understand it properly) - and maintaining its factuality as text can destroy its credibility. The issue of food and health and personal wellbeing is very topical at the moment and is actually flooding our media daily. Over a quarter of our prime time TV has been taken over by reality food programmes and documentaries. For example, Jamie Oliver's series on "Fowl Foods" which explored the poultry industry and 'You are What You Eat".
Even the government is getting on board enforcing packaging of food to declare the contents of its GDA

One of the artist's I've been looking at for this concept of dissection of objects
is Damien Hirst - in particular, I have been studying his series of animals after their treatment by the taxidermist - i.e. animals in formaldehyde



The images below gave me ideas how I might present my series of photographs using the same split theme concept.

Death Explained

June 1, 2007. Twelve new pieces were revealed at the White Cube Gallery in central London on Friday, June 1, 2007.


"Love's Paradox" central London, June 1, 2007. display at the White Cube Gallery



fowl dinners
ttp://www.channel4.com/food/on-tv/jamie-oliver/jamies-fowl-dinners/
http://www.channel4.com/food/advertorial/rspca/
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1369783249/bclid1369819391/bctid1369819389
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7023947132295505939&q=fowl+dinners&ei=YKsUSOTLHJqW2wKriLXXDQ&hl=en

This photograph works very well due to its symmetrical format. The lighting of the sky creates a post-apocalyptic feel

Some experimental work within photoshop using using layering of same image and different images to make an entirely new image.

Here we can see a panoramic shot of the International Pool constructed out of four images
merging into one to create a Metropolis of architecture.

My inspiration for this series of photographs came from the Pink Floyd album cover on which we see a mirror or painting replicating itself again and again.

Here you can see how I have constructed my two final images by using layers, a feathering tool, cropping and moving