A smoker tapping ash from a cigarette outside of an office building is not in itself expressive subject matter. Rather, it is up to how we can photograph it to make it expressive. In this case, the smoker chose to stand within a pool of early morning light, casting a shadow on the marble wall behind her. She clutches a bottle of water in one hand, while using the other to tap the ash from her extended cigarette. A puff of smoke circles the fingers, while her highlighted expression remains passive. Using spot-metering mode, I expose on the sun-splashed wall, allowing the rest of the image to darken. The shadows embrace a row of softly focused red flowers at the base of the image, reminding us that smoking often casts a shadow on the quality of life itself.