Abandoned

On a trip to one of the Northern emirates, Ras ul Khaimah, I came across an abandoned aircraft, some relict of bygone days. Even though it was a typically bright and sunny day, at about 3 pm in the afternoon, there was still some blue in the sky, maybe not as much as I would have liked but at least it was that bright washed out white hazy sky that we often have to contend with in the UAE. I decided that given the light and the dynamic range, HDR was probably the best way to go. I took 3 shots1 EV apart for each image and then processed them using HDR efex pro. I did also do a few post processing work with photoshop as well as promatix but in the end preferred the results that came out of HDR efex pro.

Jay Maisel

An outstanding photographer, Jay Maisel has a career that has spanned over 50 years. His images revolve around light, color and gesture. During my research, I fell in love with his images. I especially like the fact that he shoots whatever he likes - portraits, landscapes, street. He is famous for his portrait of Miles Davis (taken in the 60s, I think) - a beautiful images which is still very relevant today. He was a commercial photographer for a number of years and what distinguished him from other bodies of work was the fact that he never distinguished between commercial work and his own body of work. He is now retired and runs workshops in NYC. I would so love to attend one of them. That would be quite the dream workshop.

I have collected some of his images for my learning log. They are wonderful, vibrant with color, beautifully composed and interestingly enough, he doesn't really post process much. These images are more or often than not straight out of the camera.

I enjoyed reviewing his work, reading and watching some his interviews. Kelby training has a wonderful webcast " a day with Jay Maisel" which is well worth watching as well.

His work can be seen on his website.

Thinking about Street Photography

Street photography has been around since the advent of cameras. Early photographers made street photographs for their personal interest, but it was with studio portraits or artistic landscapes that they paid the bills or achieved artistic recognition. To a certain degree that trend remains. I have yet to see a photographer admit to earning goo money from street photography alone. Despite this, street photography continues to be a genre that attract many photographers and many of them pursue this genre as a passion.

While there are many definitions on what constitutes “true” street photography, my personal preference is the one defined by LFPH as “un-posed, un-staged photography which captures, explores or questions contemporary society and the relationships between individuals and their surroundings.”

Essentially, street photography captures people and places within the public domain.

Street photography does not need to include people although it usually does. Some photographers feel very strongly about this and insist that if the image does not contain people, it does not fall under the true definition of “street photography”. I don’t completely agree with that view. My view is that any image as long as its situated in public environments – often but not exclusively, urban settings – falls under the definition of street photography.

Another important aspect of street photography is the sense that the captured scene is unplanned, with an absence of prior arrangement. Generic scenes from pre-planned public events do not have the same feeling of chance encounter and spontaneity. Many street photographers feel that going to an organised event and taking images there does not fall under the category of “true” street photography. Again, I am not in complete agreement. There is nothing to say that if a photographer knowingly attends an organized event he or she might not still be able to capture a spontaneous and unrelated street scene. There is some element of social documentary in street photography. If not, then all the images would be without intent. Images without intent don’t tell a story and therefore don’t leave a lasting impression. After all, if you cannot be stimulated to contemplate the story being told by the image, there is a strong likelihood you won’t remember the image.

Shooting styles are also debated. There are two ways to shoot images on the street, openly or covertly. Many street photographers prefer the latter. Being open about shooting a picture of a stranger on the street is emotionally demanding. It’s takes a lot of chuzpah to go up to someone and risk hostility.

When it comes to street photography, it’s quite hard to get good images. Sometimes you have to wait a long time for something of interest to happen.  (Decisive Moment)

While the debate on what constitutes as street photography continues to rage, there are some areas that street photographers can agree on.

• Traditionally, street photographs have been in black and white often with a gritty feel or texture to the images. In Black and Images, form, texture and shape play very a strong role in composition.
• Nowadays, the color medium is also acceptable. It adds another dimension to the elements that can add interest to the composition.
• Images with People (the preference being not to shoot the back of people) and
• Without People (give the viewer a sense of place)
• Gestures are important
• Unplanned to a very large degree
• Capture the whimsical life of the street
• The ability to capture a Juxtaposition of contrast (people or place)
• Should have Intent – the photos should tell a story. The intent is to give us a sense of life and contemplate what is happening or could happen next.

Subjects and settings can vary greatly but the key elements of spontaneity, careful observation and an open mind ready to capture whatever appears in the viewfinder are essential.

According to James Maher, it often takes years to formalize your "street" shooting style. I think I agree. I personally don't think I have shot enough to develop one or even start to have the glimmering of one. Right now I am just experimenting with focal lengths, lens, shooting styles etc.

The other point that I am trying to lock down is what am I trying to capture. Again, according to James Maher, over an extended period of time, street photographers develop a theme. Whether its capturing dystopic circumstances, representing a personal set of beliefs (social, cultural or religious) or just simply representing a series of travel book pictures in an attempt to show diversity and uniqueness of the world we live in

Am I able to articulate what I am trying to capture? Not right now. What I simply know is that I want to capture the world as seen through my eyes and regardless of the setting - so if it could be both travel based as well as representing a set of beliefs. There are many people who travel the world looking for "decisive moments" travelling to exotic places,  venturing into dystopic settings to capture those unforgettable moments and I envy them but not everyone has those opportunities and maybe, just maybe, different and enduring moments can also be found in ordinary every day life. I am simply capturing the world as I come across it. It may somewhat random, almost without any specific purpose, but so what. After all, William Eggleston made a name for himself capturing random, almost banal everyday life moments. Maybe, so will I.

What makes a compelling portrait?

I want to be able to make a compelling portrait. Not just good but compelling. So the most important question then for me is what makes a compelling portrait. Clearly technique is important – location, lighting, framing etc. But then I have seen images that are technically well executed but fail to draw me as the viewer into that image. I appreciate the image but does it draw me into wanting to know about subject? Often times not.

So then there has to be something else that contributes to the making of an “iconic” image.  An intangible quality that strikes the viewer and draws him into that image make him or her wanting to know more about the subject. Is it emotion or gesture or expression or all of them in some combination that resonates with the viewer and leaves them with wanting to know more?

Why not start with myself as a viewer and think about the portraits that were compelling to me and why?

There are three that come unaided to my mind:

-       Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl

-       Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother

-       Yusuf Karsh’s Winston Churchill.

Take Steve McCurry’s Afghan Girl for the purposes of this discussion.

A outstanding portrait in color, well executed and beautifully composed. All the visual elements – texture, light, color, and composition were there. The girl herself was beautiful. She took my breath away but it was her expression and her eyes that stayed with me. She looked at the camera with a strange mixture of trepidation and bravado; almost defiant, but also scared. I felt something stir inside when I saw that image. Something I cannot fully express. What I do know is that whatever it was, it stayed with me.

I was drawn in enough to want to know more about her. I remember thinking about her in the context of Afghanistan, one the harshest and most complex environments for women and I always used to wonder, will she make it? Will she be able to make her own life choices? What kind of compromises will she have to make. Here eyes haunted me and truly it goes back to that age old saying that the “eyes are windows to soul”.

I really connected with that image and even now years later, after knowing her story; I still get poignant when I see her portrait, the same as I did when I first saw it. The only difference for me is that from wondering where she has gone, I know and it has only resulted in increased sympathy for her. There is a bit of regret on how her life has been but her photograph still speaks to me. It still symbolizes hope for the future and the possibility of breaking free.

This is what I call an iconic image, a compelling portrait.

For a photographer’s perspective, I suppose there is an element of luck involved too. After all capturing that expression, that intangible quality is not something you can plan. It just happens and the trick is to be ready for it.

Back to my intent?

Well, like I said I want to make compelling portraits. The likelihood of doing for this brief specifically or for that matter in the future may be low but hope springs eternal. What’s the point of aspiring to make a “good” picture? A lot of studio photographers do that every day. I want to capture something more unique. Something where it’s not the technique that attracts viewers but that something intangible that draws them in and makes them think about that image for a bit.

Yusuf Karsh - portrait photography extraordinaire

Yusus Karsh (1908-2002) is one the most extraordinary photographers that I have come across.  Primarily a portrait photographer, he has photographed a many important personalities from political figures to actors and musicians and athletes. His body of work is simply outstanding. Some of the most beautiful black and white portraits I have seen. He became famous over night when he took a portrait of Winston Churchill in 1941.

His website http://www.karsh.org is well worth visiting; My favorite section is the portraits sections where a number of his portraits are depicted  and even more wonderfully each one comes with an anecdote, a remembrance of how that image was taken.

Here is another article I read which talks at length about his work, style and techniques. http://www.sciencetech.technomuses.ca/english/collection/karsh.cfm

I absolutely love his B&W images. They are what I think about when I talk about images which are timeless.

Here's another one of Mohammad Ali and the beautiful Elizabeth Taylor..

Monte Zucker's Portrait Photography Handbook

I bought this book to prepare for one of the OCA courses "People and Place". Read the whole thing cover to cover and find myself going back to it repeatedly. A really well written book that covers all the critical elements behind photographing people. The book covers preparing for a portrait session, advice to give clients, talks about locations and backgrounds, posing fundamentals, lighting patterns, techniques and patterns, camera angles, exposure etc etc. This book has given good insight into all the subject matter which has been laid out in the first unit of P&P.  I recommend it highly.

Street Photography Workshop with Zack Arias

Zack came down to run some workshops during the Gulf Photo Plus (GPP) Week. Along with his usual one light workshop, he's also added a street photography workshop. Leaving aside the fact that he is a fantastic teacher and absolutely hilarious, I did pick up some good tips. We went down to the souk to try out some of our newly acquired skills. The first hour was really spent watch Zack do his thing. After that, the group split to take shots on their own. He spotted these two baluchi men walking about the souk and asked them if he could take their portrait. Obviously all of us piled on the bandwagon so to speak but this was really his spot.

Walking around the souk during the afternoon was slow going. Most of the shops were closed for the afternoon but I managed to find this young shopkeeper enjoying a cup of tea outside his shop.

A few workers relaxing in a corner of the souk, generally chatting and catching up.

I somehow found myself in a little square inside the souk area. These two men were hanging out on the bench enjoying the afternoon warmth. I asked them if I could take a photo of them and while one of them agreed, the other one made quite a fuss. I still took the photo holding the camera just above waist level and quickly using my screen to frame the shot. This was one of my few "guerrilla" shots of the day and I was quite proud of it!

The group crossed to the other side of the sukuk using one the underground walkways. I took advantage of a lull in activities to shoot this frame.

Finally, at the end of the day, we met up again as a group to share images and get's Zack's viewpoint. It was a good day and I am looking forward to participating in the next GPP event in March 2014.

Vivian Maier

I find it poignant and sentimental, the story of how Vivian’s work was discovered after her death.  Very few people who read about it would be failed to be moved.  Her work discovered in a footlocker had never been viewed by anyone during her life time. Her work is a wonderful repertoire of street photography during the 50s and 60s. I loved how she captured a wide gamut of street scenes – the rich and poor, the old and young, the maids, the workers, the families, the bums – the entire scale of emotion from joy to grief.

A large part of here work has still not been displayed. I read somewhere that there is a huge number of negatives that still remain undeveloped. What I find interesting is how her un-trained eye naturally captured these street images and these images are beautifully composed.

The 50s and 60s have always been an era that appeal to me and I love the work of photographers who were active during that time and so Vivian’s portfolio comprise for me a series of compelling documentary style images. For this particular review, I am not focusing on her street photography but on the series of self portraits that she shot on her journey.  I am reminded of Angiers Rosswell’s chapter “Self Portrait – No Face” from “Train Your Gaze”. Vivian took self portraits in a variety of ways, from reflections in mirrors to reflections on shiny objects, her distinctive profile with the hat and the man's coat caught on film. Often wonderfully composed with layers upon layers, sometimes with humor sometimes brooding but never boring or uninteresting.

A case in point, this image:

Vivian's shadow reflected on the ground, her profile distinct thanks to the hat she used to wear and layered with in the shadow another self-portrait, this time reflected in the shiny sphere.

Another favorite of mine. I think this one is absolutely outstanding. Another wonderful example of what I mean when write about layers within layers.

Another one,  a mirror in what I think is one of those long diners that used to be so popular in the 50s and 60s.

She continued with taking self portraits till much later in life and while the format changed (from square to the more common 3 x 2 formats of today),  she never lost her unerring eye for wonderful compositions.

The more I look at her portfolio of self-portraits, the more I am inspired.  I rather like the idea of taking self portraits in this documentary style as opposed to in the studio under contrived conditions. When I wrote about Angiers Rosswell's chapter about self portraits, I found myself uncomfortable with the idea of taking self portraits and since then have been reflecting on why. The only clarity I have is the continued belief that it's fear, fear of what I will see and my unwillingness to confront or accept a reality which could come out differently (negatively) from what I think it should be.

Jordan Matter's Dancers Among Us

I came across a wonderful collection of photographs from the New York based photographer, Jordan Matter.  The project is entitled "Dancers Among Us" and it features an amazing set of images in which Matter invited dancers to act out various characters and jump around in New York city doing some humorous poses. The images have been published without the use of any post processing and the results are simply outstanding. In his website, Jordan Matter explains how the inspiration for these images came from watching his three year old play with his toys. Over a period of three years, he has managed to put together this amazing and joyful collection of images that absolutely delighted me. It's really inspirational and I really wish I could come up with a photo project like this. At the very least, it has started me thinking about a new direction and I hope I can come up with something equally inspiring. The whole collection is wonderful, colorful and creative. I loved them all. Here are some of the images and you can see the rest on his website www.dancersamongus.com; The website also features a wonderful videos that shows some of the behind the scenes action that went into putting this project together. Just brilliant!

Jonathan has also published a book which is available on amazon and I have ordered one. It's really reasonably priced and I am looking forward to reading / viewing it.

William Eggleston

William Eggleston (born 1939) is mainly known for bringing color photography to new heights from the 1960s and onwards. I am somewhat conflicted about his work.

While his effective use of color as a key element of his images is without doubt, his subject matter is ordinary life.  Eggleston predominantly photographed American South, there are cars, bars, gas stations, fields, supermarkets, fast food, lost souls, dreamy stares, signs, streets, reflections… All of which constitutes the essential everyday life for many of us, even if we’re far away from Eggleston’s Memphis.

My first reaction to Eggleston was, and I think to a certain extent still is, quite mixed.  While I found several of his images compelling, there were many that I found to be almost uninteresting. I am sure that there are many who may find this view to be almost blasphemous. I am not taking away from the fact that he was a pioneer in color photography and that many of his images are wonderful to see from a color, composition and documentary point of view, but given that he photographed every day life, why is it inconceivable to think that it may be possible for an element of banality to creep into some of his images? I have to admit that some of the images which first struck me as being boring proved otherwise the second or third time around but there are still a few which I find uninteresting and frankly, fail to understand why they are feted as being so highly commended.

In any case, I am not sure I am in the mood for a major debate, suffice to say that I  agree with Peter Schjeldahl when he wrote about Eggleston at the Whitney

“You can always tell a William Eggleston photograph. It’s the one in color that hits you in the face and leaves you confused and happy, and perhaps convinces you that you don’t understand photography nearly as well as you thought you did.”

ll that aside, what does appeal to me is that Eggleston found beauty in the commonplace, almost junky situations. I also have a bit of a love affair with ordinary common place settings so I can relate.

These are the some of the images I really like.

Photographer Review - Steve McCurry Revisited

Steve McCurry’s work continues to inspire; while doing TAOP, I had reviewed his work in the context of beautiful use of both composition and color. In context of P&P, his work continues to inspire. For the last two years, I have just been puzzling over how he manages to take such compelling images especially with regard to color.  His images are wonderfully powerful. The colors are vivid.

I wish I could attend a workshop with him just to see him in action; The closest I got was through viewing a short film “Close up:Photographers at Work”; From what I can gather that a lot of his iconic images were shot on slide film although the short film did show him shooting with digital film. I found it amazing that he carried around such a large camera for street photography and no one seemed to notice him. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLgd6isBAoM)

Recently I has the chance to view some of the photographs that are in featured in his new book “Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs” and I continue to be overwhelmingly impressed. Here are some of my current favorites (I just seem to be adding to one more to my collection of images everything)

I also spent some time watching his one master class series which can be found on:

Some of the tips that I picked up:

-       Don’t’ forget to say hello; connect with the subject

-       Be in the Moment – take the time out to get the sense of the place / street. Look at the architecture, at the people, take some time out to get to know the place. Photograph alone or with one person so that you can focus on your surroundings and not get distracted. Photography is really a solitary endeavor; it gives you the opportunity to explore

-       Humor goes a long way – when approaching people on the street, you need to try to connect with them; show respect.

-       React Quickly – seize the moment; follow your instincts;

-       How to fit on street – This relates to when you go to a foreign country; go with a guide; somebody who knows the culture; this way you are able to gauge what happenings and is watching your back. It also belps to build a sense of confidence and ensure you don’t culturally disrespect people.

-       What makes a great photograph – Good composition and color but the main thing is that it should have some story telling or have some element that you can’t forget. Pictures that stay with you and change your viewpoint about the world.

-       Follow your nose – a good photographer needs to have a strong sense of curiosity about the world; go with your instinct; be ready to explore

-       Pick an Unusual Vantage – try and find different viewpoints to shoot from; high / low etc.

Some of recent favorites:

Photographer Review - Alan Wilson

In December 2011, while researching websites for The Art of Photography, I came across a website on street photography by Alan Wilson. I found myself really enjoying his images and I thought a number of them were very compelling. From time to time, I go back to his web-site but I have been unable to see any additions to his already published portfolio. Having said that, I had done quite a detailed post on some of his images. I still think it worth checking his web-site especially in light of P&P

Link to Alan's Website:  http://www.streetphoto.fsnet.co.uk/

Link to my original post: Click here

Train Your Gaze - People at the Edge of the Margin

I was really quite enthralled by this chapter; The idea being to reject the need to place a subject in the center of the frame and the rejection of the assumption that the subject should be at the center of the frame. The latter is attributed to “photographic folklore” and is actually based on the way the camera design. The book refers to the focusing rectangle using located in the center of the frame. Typically you would aim that focusing rectangle at some part of the subjects face, focus and then take the picture. Interestingly enough I think that modern DSLRs, with their capability to move focus points around the frame, have allowed contemporary photographers to do away with that stereotypical framing. Having said that, I have recently acquired a range finder and found myself framing shots within the center of the frame because I could not technically figure out how to focus lock on the subject face and then reframe the shot. It’s something that I am still trying to perfect so I can fully understand how the tendency to place subjects in the middle of frame came about. Having said that, the reason why I am having trouble moving the frame around while using the rangefinder is because I want to try and make sure that the subject is sharply focused. Imagine my surprise when this chapter then wenton to challenge the concept of portraits where the subject is tack sharp. I find myself really liking the idea of framing people at the edge of the frame. It feels more dynamic, much more compelling compositionally.

I found the Jacob Riss example quite interesting. Although the composition was not deliberate, more an accident since Jacob Riss did not have an optical viewfinder which would have allowed him to compose the image more thoughtfully, the accidental capture of his hand at the edge of the frame results in an image becoming more meaningful especially in light of the subject.

The chapter then went on to discuss Cartier-Bresson’s work and his view of the “decisive moment”; Every street photographer worth his salt knows about the decisive moments and prays for opportunities where they are able to capture that moment.

I really enjoyed reading how Angiers deconstructed one of the most famous images captured by Cartier Bresson “Behind the Gare St Lazare 1932” ; He pointed out elements behind the image that I hadn’t really noticed before. For example, I had not noticed how the poster in the background showed a ballerina jumping and that the motion almost mirrored the motion of the man jumping over the puddle. I found it equally fascinating when Angiers likened the viewer in the background as a witness similar to the photographer himself. Layers within layers that I had not noticed before.

Prior to this chapter, I had read some material on deconstructing images and the importance of being able to interpret images especially in the context of where and how they are used but to be honest it’s not a skill that comes naturally to me or for that matter one that I truly appreciated.

I understand the need for it. I am not sure if I have the ability to do it without help but something about the way Angiers deconstructed this image clicked in my head.

Maybe, it’s because I love documentary photography and in particular street photography. For me, it’s real and visceral. It speaks to me, fascinates me and keeps me engrossed for hours. Maybe that’s why deconstructing these images makes complete sense to me.

Another point that really resonated with me was Angier’s assertion that Cartier-Bresson composed all this street shots. I have been researching various street photography websites and reading some books on it and so far no where have I picked up the fact that street photography can comprise of carefully composed images. I always got the impression that street photography was akin to hunting or quick draw (wild wild west) where you had not only be alert but quick to shoot and capture the moment.

I am not thinking of trying this approach. Instead of walking around trying to document the world as it passes me by, maybe I should find a location or spot, compose the shot and then wait. Much more Cartier Bressan…I think :)

Train Your Gaze 3 (People at the Edge of the Margin)

I was really quite enthralled by this chapter; The idea being to reject the need to place a subject in the center of the frame and the rejection of the assumption that the subject should be at the center of the frame. The latter is attributed to “photographic folklore” and is actually based on the way the camera design. The book refers to the focusing rectangle using located in the center of the frame. Typically you would aim that focusing rectangle at some part of the subjects face, focus and then take the picture. Interestingly enough I think that modern DSLRs, with their capability to move focus points around the frame, have allowed contemporary photographers to do away with that stereotypical framing. Having said that, I have recently acquired a range finder and found myself framing shots within the center of the frame because I could not technically figure out how to focus lock on the subject face and then reframe the shot. It’s something that I am still trying to perfect so I can fully understand how the tendency to place subjects in the middle of frame came about. Having said that, the reason why I am having trouble moving the frame around while using the rangefinder is because I want to try and make sure that the subject is sharply focused. Imagine my surprise when this chapter then wenton to challenge the concept of portraits where the subject is tack sharp. I find myself really liking the idea of framing people at the edge of the frame. It feels more dynamic, much more compelling compositionally.

I found the Jacob Riss example quite interesting. Although the composition was not deliberate, more an accident since Jacob Riss did not have an optical viewfinder which would have allowed him to compose the image more thoughtfully, the accidental capture of his hand at the edge of the frame results in an image becoming more meaningful especially in light of the subject.

The chapter then went on to discuss Cartier-Bresson’s work and his view of the “decisive moment”; Every street photographer worth his salt knows about the decisive moments and prays for opportunities where they are able to capture that moment.

I really enjoyed reading how Angiers deconstructed one of the most famous images captured by Cartier Bresson “Behind the Gare St Lazare 1932” ; He pointed out elements behind the image that I hadn’t really noticed before. For example, I had not noticed how the poster in the background showed a ballerina jumping and that the motion almost mirrored the motion of the man jumping over the puddle. I found it equally fascinating when Angiers likened the viewer in the background as a witness similar to the photographer himself. Layers within layers that I had not noticed before.

Prior to this chapter, I had read some material on deconstructing images and the importance of being able to interpret images especially in the context of where and how they are used but to be honest it’s not a skill that comes naturally to me or for that matter one that I truly appreciated.

I understand the need for it. I am not sure if I have the ability to do it without help but something about the way Angiers deconstructed this image clicked in my head.

Maybe, it’s because I love documentary photography and in particular street photography. For me, it’s real and visceral. It speaks to me, fascinates me and keeps me engrossed for hours. Maybe that’s why deconstructing these images makes complete sense to me.

Another point that really resonated with me was Angier’s assertion that Cartier-Bresson composed all this street shots. I have been researching various street photography websites and reading some books on it and so far no where have I picked up the fact that street photography can comprise of carefully composed images. I always got the impression that street photography was akin to hunting or quick draw (wild wild west) where you had not only be alert but quick to shoot and capture the moment.

I am not thinking of trying this approach. Instead of walking around trying to document the world as it passes me by, maybe I should find a location or spot, compose the shot and then wait. Much more Cartier Bressan…I think :)

Photography Heaven

I have had an amazing week. Absolutely outstanding. The kind of days that I wish would come with more frequency. 7 days of complete immersion in photo workshops. I took the week off to participate in the Gulf Photo Plus photo week. 16 World famous photographers came down to conduct workshops.

David Hobby (of the Strobist Fame), Zack Arias (of One light Fame), David Nitingale, Bobbi Lane, Joe McNally...the list goes on.

I signed up for workshops every single day. I did one light flash with Zack Arias, street photography with David and Zack, The Art of Black and White Photography with David and Balancing Flash with Ambient Light with Bobbi Lane; 7 days non stop. My legs hurt. My back hurts and I have so much information to process, my head hurts.

It was like I died and went to Photography Heaven. Today was recovery day. Back to work tomorrow. (as the Americans say, that sucks big time).

Anyway, I will try and get myself back on track this week; I have to start working on the images for the P&P as well as finish the last assignment for DPP1. Still confused about what I am going to do there.

This is an image that I shot in Zack Arias's one light workshop. The vision was Zack's; the set up was Zack's; I was just grateful to be able to execute it. It was shot in color and then converted to black and white using conversion techniques taught by the the Master of digital post processing David J. Nightingale;

Can I repeat it?

You bet.

(This is not a high res file )