Liv

I'm no fan of smoking. My mother started smoking when she was 13 and didn't quit till after I turned 16. And that was only because we moved to a rental where she couldn't smoke inside. So our first winter set her straight...

But I'm all for freedom of choice. And while smoking is, thankfully, very much dwindling as part of American culture, it is still there. And part of street portraiture and street photography is catching culture as it is.

Sure I have my own freedom of choice and can choose to not photograph women who smoke. But that would also mean passing up women like Liv.

In all seriousness, though, if you do smoke, make moves to quit. You might fail your first time or two or three, but don't let that stop you. My mother's successful attempt at quitting wasn't her first. But the circumstance definitely motivated her.