Photo Illustration Assignment

"Black Ops" is the newest installment of the Call of Duty video game series to
continue to allow gamers to enter the world of war and violence. Within 24 hours of going on sale,
the game sold more than 7 million copies, according to "The Independent."
The online multi-player mode is the most popular and is the game staple.

18 mm lens, ISO 100, f/18, 1/250

Idea & Execution
Although the idea initially began as a personality portrait, I thought it was more interesting as a photo illustration on how gamers (highlighted Call of Duty fans) become deeply immersed in the game. I did this by paralleling the "Call of Duty: Black Ops" cover, as shown below.

I executed this by first shooting the smoke. I didn't have a fog machine, so I back lit a candle using one strobe at 1/16 power and shot the smoke. I then shot Matthew with two strobes at a 1/16 power; one on either side of his body. I layered three photos of smoke and used the opacity option to blend them together. I feathered the image of Matthew and layered it over the smoke.

(Paralleled the Call of Duty: Black Ops cover)
http://tinyurl.com/28a4rxx

Lighting Setup for Matthew's Layer:

Additional Image: Photo Illustration

According to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, roughly 50 to 100 million
vertebrate animals are annually used for experimentation, which frequently
includes cosmetic testing. Experiments on animals commonly measure levels
of skin irritancy, eye tissue damage and toxicity. Most subjects are euthanized after being used.

50 mm lens, ISO 100, f/8, 1/250

I wanted to illustrate the use of animal testing for cosmetic products. I envisioned an extremely clean and bright white scene with scattered makeup products surrounding the cat. I wanted an eerie shadow on the background to highlight the cruelty in experimentation. I executed this using two strobes, one set at 1/16 power on the left of the camera and one on the right set at 1/64 to fill in excess shadows.

Lighting Setup: