Yeah, I used to smoke. I started when I was 14 or 15 and finally quit (I say “finally” hopefully) on my 30th birthday, 6 years ago. I had tried to quit many times before then, almost always for budgetary reasons. A pack of cigarettes was going for US$5 when I lived there. Now it’s closer to $10. From that perspective it got much harder to quit when I moved to Taiwan, where even the most expensive brands go for less then US$2. Eventually, I did quit. I wanted to have children and smoking hurts that chance. I also wanted to set the best possible example for them and not pass this on. There can be “Smoking will kill you” messaging posted all through the media and all over town, but if a childs parents smoke, all those adverts are worthless.
Now off to consume the addiction I permit myself: a cup of espresso made from dark-roasted beans from Papua New Guinea. Until next week.
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Brian Q. Webb is a multi-medium photography enthusiast from Los Angeles, California but spending most of his time in Taipei, Taiwan. He is especially interested in street photography as well as large format and pinhole photography.
Professionally, he practices traditional and lifestyle portraiture and occasionally acts as an agent for American local newspapers wanting event coverage in Taipei. He was also on the staff of 
Better a nice coffee than a cigarette. They really are just tremendously bad for you.
Check out the wikipedia article on the health benefits of coffee. As long as I keep drinking the stuff I won’t become demented and will have improved short-term memory.
Too bad I was diagnosed as type-1 diabetic when I was 12…If I had known that coffee was an antidiabetic I would have started drinking it with a little formula mixed in as creamer.
Nice set Brian. Like you, I have a habit of shooting smokers, so often they make for interesting subjects.
Well, smoking gives you wrinkles which creates texture