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