Kal, as an ex-smoker, I can tell you, this image is actually expressive. Just the gesture of the hand holding the cigarette, the colour of the light (that gold) and the blurred display of cigarettes behind... I find it expressive!
I saw all the cigarettes in the background, but saw them as context for a smoke shop. Where else to light one up?
I never smoked a cigarette in my life, but for years I smoked a pipe (until my cardiologist made me stop) and ofen visited such shops when looking for pipe tobacco. To me this image is not about temptation. It is a lovely illustration of a relaxed smoker.
And look at all those brands in the background... This one imediately brought back memories of a certain summer in the south of France where I've smoked every single brand of cigarretes available at the time... And let me tell you that they sure have a lot... Confused?? Well... yes I don't smoke, but I did that summer :) and this image takes me there, to that crazy time when I entered a Tobacco shop and stood there looking at all the brands wondering... hummm... which one should I tried today???
What a crazy girl I was... well I am still and I will ever be ;))
This is actually the reason why this photo was hard to comment in the first place... I look at it and "bang" I see myself there :))
I love that warm light... Ok I feel weak now... Someone bring me a Kir Royale and a pack of Cartier's please? looool
Nah!! Just kidding...
This image can be seen in many different ways... from a discriptive image that Phil sees, to Alem's temptation, to my memories ;) You should be proud that such a simple photo can have such multitude of effects...
I used layers here Phil, and maybe it did not come through as clearly as intended. The foreground as you say the simple cigarette in the hand, but the reality in the background (and you may not recognise it, becasue I know you don't smoke, and that is matbe why you don't see it) is the multitute of cigarette brands on the stand behind the hand. That one cigarette, becomes the many, and maybe even the background is a comment on the impact of branding on our choices and how they tempt us. I know it wasn't the most expressive of my images, but I wanted a link to Ana's great image, and I know how she feels about smoking!
This image is descriptive, Kal. If does a good job of showing us what a cigarette looks like when casually held in the fingers. But if you intended it as expression, it would need more incongruity in terms of its context, something that Ana's image provides by stressing the fence as a symbolic barrier to overcome and the crushed, empty pack in the gutter as a metaphor for leaving something behind us.
Guest
18-Oct-2005 17:11
i came here trough Adal and I was sent to Ana....
Well, I love this but I am trying to quit since few months now for the second time so pleeeeeeease, DON'T tempt me !!!!!!!!!
;-)))))))))
