I swear I set out to take a simple shot of a single martini, but it evolved into this. Let me first say that everything pictured is 100% legal and generally accepted with proper moderation. The idea of “Vice” is fascinating. None of these items alone would be given a second thought if you mentioned that you owned them. It is when they are all put together in a group that can bring cause for concern. All things deserve moderation, but some things require more. To take use of or enjoy all of these items in a single night would make for one hell of a party, but it’s not likely wise or safe.
While shooting this, my brother and girlfriend came home with a pizza they picked up for dinner and I couldn’t help but remember the words of Tony Stark, “Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.” I had so many items out that are meant to be put a way, I felt like I was getting caught doing something wrong.
Some of these items are less frowned upon than others. I don’t think that Pink Floyd’s album, “Wish You Were Here” would raise too many eyebrows now. The cover shows a man on fire shaking hands with someone as if nothing were wrong. The songs on the album (all five of them) tell the story of a band getting picked up by a big record label and being seen as piles of cash rather than artists. That and the fact that legions of seventies teens listened to Pink Floyd while getting stoned makes it kind of vice-like. On the lighter side, I also included pizza, sugar, and a Zippo (out of frame).
I was thinking of what MORE I could put in the shot and the list kept growing. Now that I think about it some more, I would have put in 100 dollar bills, gold, and who knows what else. There is so much going on in this picture that I like to look around and just count all of the little details and think about how they are good and bad at the same time.
On a technical note, I used a Canon 50mm prime lens at f/1.4 and 1/250 second shutter. I was in a dim room and used the built in flash and remotely fired an external flash from my left. That is the first time I had gotten the remote flash to work properly and I like it. The Canon 7D has built in remote flash control and I am glad I got to use it. For post production I used Adobe Lightroom 4.1.
