Cigarette adiction photo - Xabier Mikel Laburu Van Woudenberg photos at pbase.com

Xabier Mikel Laburu Van Woudenberg | all galleries >> Disseny Gràfic >> Algunes fotos d'estil publicitari > Cigarette adiction

previous | next


29-DEC-2004	Xabier Mikel Laburu

Cigarette adiction

Barcelona / Spain

I just ended the day with this picture, it is just a trial of some equipment and I whanted to do something a bit more interesting then just filling up bits in my computer. Since these days I am learning about 'human values' that not only include human beeng doing things, but also animals or others that can give an idea of human behaviour I though about this photo a criticism to tobbaco and all that sorrounds it, realy. But as I said, this is not my kind of photo as you may see in the rest of the gallery.

Nikon D100 ,Nikkor 35-80 f:4-5,6 D
1/160s f/8.0 at 66.0mm full exif

other sizes: small medium original

previous | next

post a comment

Amaya		02-Nov-2006 20:54
You are sooó right! As a smoker i tell ya,it even hurts to see it so literally,choking by smoke as rope around your neck...And still,i keep on whith this filthy habbit...One day i just might leave it. Thanks for the confrontation! Cool shot!

Yolanda		07-Jan-2005 19:50
Mikel!I have a question regarding the copyright,could you get in trouble with "Camel"? I remember you told me about it once,with the "Lego" peaces,remember? More when you represent it in the negetive side of smoking,would it be troubleing...Any way,it's a good way to criticize the comercial side of smoking. Is it aswell your Cryout? Damn!I am a smoker too,and it's difficoult to let it go(So...I understand.)Human habbits

Phil Douglis		31-Dec-2004 06:37
One again, Mikel and Zandra, Context, Context, and Context! When I critiqued this shot, I had no idea that Mikel was a nicotine addict. So I reacted to it as a humorous anti-smoking statement, not as a plea for help. If I had known that Mikel was still a slave to this shit, this image would have full of the pain that Zandra's terrifying reading of this image brings to it. Her words the words of an insider -- someone who has actually lived this life, and thus it gives her a personal context to read things into this image that would have never ever occurred to me, since I have never smoked a cigarette in my life, and can only read the picture on its surface. If the three of us have learned anything from this particular exercise, it is the role of context -- in this case very personal context -- in expressing and understanding meaning in a photograph. Thank you Mikel, for making and posting this image, and thank you Zandra for bringing the perspective of a former addict to the interpretation. What a difference it made! Phil Phil

Xabier Mikel Laburu Van Woudenberg		30-Dec-2004 13:45
Half success I think but thought it was worthed as for it's content

Miinerva		30-Dec-2004 13:33
I just read your comment on my Abstract shot Mikel and got the explanation about the flashes , as i suspected ;-). So your experiment sem to have been a sucess :-D

Miinerva		30-Dec-2004 12:36
What a laugh i had when i saw this Mikel, due to the reason pointed out by Phil. Hope you don't mind giving me a giggle ;-) It sure is diffrent from your ordinary work Mikel. It is technically well executed and as you were trying some equpment, it did it's job. On the other hand, the picture is not so moody, i miss that. the light is too good and it becomes more of a product shot. Thsi is when youlook at it in a first glims. My second thought is....I WANT THAT... but that is only cause i used to smoke for 15 years and quit a year ago. Still strugling at times. As a formes smoker though i can see the symbolism in this as well. How you are tied to the drug. It choukes you, consumes you, it takes over. At times, it take over so bad you plan your day to make sure you have time to go down and smoke. That is well represented with the string. The pack for me can symbolise 2 things. The lungs, cause how you put the cigarett in it, and how they ditariate from the smoke. It can also symbolise the will to fight the drug. You crumble the pack and throw it away, discard it as if you don't want to do it no more. The symbolism of the string tied around it becomes stronger then as it enhances the power the drug have over the will. It showes that we really become slaves under the Nikotine. I think it would become more powerfull in B&W though and also if it was a litle bit darker. I would also have lied to see the whole background black, as the shadow does not really add any value, in my humble opinion. All black on the other hand could give it a sence of floating in empty space, and thus symbolise the helpless ness aginst the urge for this drug...maybe. But osmething tells me that that goes against your experiment...some light equipment maybe?

Phil Douglis		30-Dec-2004 02:53
Don't apologize for this, Mikel. Any time you post a picture on pbase, post it with pride and confidence. Or don't post it all. I find this a very amusing image. Totally unlike anything I have ever seen you do. You create an anti-smoking poster that is incongruous, abstract and rich in human values. A crumpled carton that smokes is very incongruous and quite amusing. You make it even more bizarre by strangling the cigarette in a noose. That is also incongruous. There is no person here, so it is quite abstract. Yet every person foolish enough to stick one of these things in the mouth is implicated. Addiction and foolishness are both human values. What more could you ask. I am passing this link to Zandra because coincidentally, she and I were just discussing addiction to nicotine in an exchange of messages. It will be interesting to get her views on this image, too. Thanks, Mikel, for sharing this impromptu inspiration. Phil P.S. Are you a former smoker? A current smoker? Or a never smoker? Such context would add meaning to this exercise.