If you've been in New York City on Ash Wednesday, you've likely spotted someone with a cross-shaped smudge of ash on their forehead. For some secular individuals, it's a strange sight that turns heads in confusion. Many know little about this religious practice, which marks the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, beyond what they see on the surface. 

On Ash Wednesday for the past twenty years, Greg Miller has carried his hulking 8x10 film camera throughout New York City to make street portraits of those who participate in this ritual. In some images, subjects look directly back at the viewer, confronting our inquiry head-on. In others, people pause and gaze off - sunlight or shadows drench them with metaphor.

In advance of his twenty first Ash Wednesday shoot, Miller and I spoke about his work and upcoming book (which you can pre-order HERE.) 

Interview by Jon Feinstein