Smokers congregating in huddles outside a city office block - this is a common scene in cities around the world these days.

Welcome to Smokescreen: Underneath the Haze – an online documentary focussing on cigarette smoking in Australia, and smokers’ own views on their increasing marginalisation from the mainstream, non-smoking community. This documentary explores smokers’ reaction to the increasing pressure of anti-smoking legislation, anti-smoking media campaigns and the anti-smoking sentiments of the non-smoking public. Smokescreen: Underneath the Haze seeks neither to condone nor condemn, but simply to gauge how smokers feel they’re perceived by the community at large, and whether or not they feel any heightened sense of community themselves in the face of this increasing anti-smoking pressure.

These days many smokers feel shunned by the non-smoking general public.

There are three major parts to this documentary. The first section delves into the history of tobacco use, from native American indians to a craze that swept Europe and then the world. The second section looks at the rise of anti-smoking legislation – from sweeping reforms within the tobacco industry itself, to the restrictions on where smokers can indulge their habit. The third section is a snapshot of a group of Australian smokers, several of whom are also co-workers – this section examines the sense of community that can develop in the light of increasing anti-smoking restrictions, and how the smokers themselves feel because of this pressure.

Feel free to browse all three sections via the tabs at the top of this page, titled “Tobacco History”, “Changing Times” and “Smokers’ Views”. For more information and images, view this Flickr slideshow.

For many smokers, a cigarette break when at work is not just about smoking - it's a time for socialising, away from the usual constraints of the workplace.

© Unless otherwise indicated, all images remain copyright of Rod Chapman. Non-commercial reproduction is permitted, provided images are credited: Photo courtesy of Rod Chapman.