ph ©Keef Charles

“Time takes a cigarette.....

Puts it in your mouth

You pull on your finger

Then another finger

Then cigarette”

... from David Bowie’s “Rock n Roll Suicide”

This opening stanza remains indelibly imprinted in my brain from teenage years. The image he portrays is powerful and just as relevant today. With one exception, for me at least. The true smoker image is that of someone pulling on a real cigarette, cigarillo, cigar, pipe or even joint. These are the images that best elicit the mood for me. Perhaps, it’s because I’m old fashioned, who knows?

It’s just that somebody drawing on a bong, hookah pipe or e-cigarette doesn’t feel quite the same. No matter. The grandeur of a hookah or the almost caricature volume of smoke billowing from an e-cigarette makes for good image.

The story though, derives from the smoker; their lost / intense / dreamy mood. That sense of time suspended...as they indulge in this pleasure.

There was, as you’d expect, an incredible diversity of beautiful shots offered up for this Challenge.

A wonderful array of settings.

Pubs, clubs, bars and alleys. Houses, benches, streets, wherever. Day, night, indoors or out. The vast majority of these images capture something of that world: the smokers’ momentary escape. Some offer the more social aspect, the communal, convivial.

All, however, offer a moment to savour. A feast for the eyes.

Once again we have had many images, to be honest they still continue to arrive, always beautiful.

Among 308 images our Andrea Ratto, Delfim Correlo, Don Scott, Edita Sabalionyte, Fabio Balestra, Frans Kemper, Keef Charles, Marco DM, Neville Fan, Niklas Lindskog have voted for these photos:

1° – 5 votes

2° – 4 votes

3° – 3 votes

4° – 2 votes

1 vote

Firsts:

Daniel Antunes, Martin Sanders 

Seconds:

Ilan Ben Yehuda, Mikael Carlsson, Wolfgang Schreier 

Thirds:

Dov Oron, Fabio Furlotti, Francesca Kiakkio, Husni Munir, Marco DM, 

Omri Shomer, Pacho Coulchinsky, Patrick Merino, Yiannis Yiasaris‎.

Fourths:

Aung Thet Zaw, Avital Aloni, Batsceba Hardy, Dan Cristian Griga, Don Scott, Dov Oron, Dzung Viet Le, Edita Sabalionyte, Fabio Balestra, John St, Keef Charles,  Michel Crapoulet‎, Oliver Ferreras San Juan, Orna Naor, Richard Keeling, Shimi Cohen, Stephen Oxberry, Tamar Ganor Zandman‎, Veronika Read, Wilfried Gebhard.

and:

Alpay Beler, Andrei Furnea‎, Arvin Samson Mamhot‎, Bertil Nilsson, Corinne Spector, David Goold, Eddie Mac, Eduardo A. Ponce, Harrie Miller, Ita Kovač‎, Jim Darke, Jim Payne, John Rudio, Lil Steinberg, Lola Minister, Mike Heard, Mohamad Setiawan‎, Niklas Lindskog, Orlando Durazzo, Rainer Neumann, Ralf J. Diemb, Roberto Bartolini, Roberto Di Patrizi, Sagi Kortler, Sam Benari, Sarasij Dasgupta, Theodoros Topalis, Vassilis Demetriades, Victor Borst, Ximena Echague, Yoav Loeff, Win Slow, Zohar Ferro.