Vaping Culture: Vapers Through the Lens

As a safer alternative to cigarettes, e-cigarettes have become a phenomenon sweeping across the United States and many first-world countries. The vaping culture has also attracted global media attention.

Since humans began inhaling smoke, smoke tricks have existed, but e-cigarettes make it more interesting: smoke tricks and ridiculous plume-like vapor come out of the nostrils. Photographer Louis Amore from North London visited a local vape shop, Prohibition Vapes, to capture a vapor competition through his lens.

Amore said he had never realized the culture surrounding e-cigarettes before. "I couldn't understand how this competition worked, but the shop owner showed me some videos, and I was very surprised."

This series was conceived when he accidentally walked into Prohibition Vapes. He had been there before for coffee. He then said he initially felt strange.

"It felt like I shouldn't be here; this is a place for cool kids. Everyone was vaping. I liked the shop and the atmosphere; it was really pleasant. I had no idea about this 'trend,' but I liked the fact that I saw young people socializing, accompanied by something other than alcohol; it was refreshing," Amore said. He then realized this would be a fantastic theme for a portrait series.

Amore said that the process of shooting the event and creating the portraits was very enjoyable. The creative process was challenging because predicting what tricks the participants would perform with the vapor was nearly impossible. "I didn't know if it would fill the entire frame or which direction it would go," Amore said, "but the people were really lovely."

During the creation of this series, Amore was pleased to learn that vapor does not always contain tobacco. The shop owner told him that many customers come in hoping to quit smoking. Personally, I don't quite understand this culture, but it's really great to see people finding themselves and enjoying it.