I incorporated cigarettes into my diptych project, because I was inspired by the smoking culture in China. Specifically, the reliance that people have on cigarettes. The two paired images convey a contrast as the cigarettes are illuminated and depict a brighter setting. In staging and photographing, I walked the streets near the Jinqiao dorms to find settings with cigarettes and cigarette packages. I found multiple people on the street smoking, however, it was difficult to capture them with the movement. I found more success in photographing various cigarettes and cigarette boxes on the floor. After I found one lying in the trash, I staged an additional pack outside of a store to illuminate it. In creating the digital image, I struggled with the individual functions. As there are many different tools in Photoshop, it was hard to learn how to use each one. I watched additional tutorials on the side to learn how to cut images out. If I had more time, I would improve my project by making it less “choppy”. I would want to make it so it looks more integrated rather than multiple images cut out and pasted.
I am currently in the process of resubmission. 