Contact-sheet interlude

1 roll; 12 images; a choice to make.

The first time I met Bob, he introduced me to some of his many guitars. That day, I wasn’t carrying my camera. But I knew. I knew I’d have to come back and picture his hand on a guitar.

When I came back, it was dark outside. The room was dimly lit. I was using the Blad. No cell to measure light, a camera that weighs about half a ton whose mirror clocks 3.4 on Richter’s scale when you press the shutter, and only one roll on me. I do like a challenge…


I wanted a close-up of his hand on the guitar neck. But then, there was also the guitar cases, the strings, the tuners,… talk about choices to make.

Some images are blurry due to the very low speed (mostly 1/15th), but I was ready for that and ok with it.  Sharpness isn’t the story.

Some images I do regret though. Useless. The ones you take because you’re caught in the moment. And then, you get the angle. You know it’s there, but once again, a choice. Focus on the hand or the face? Make it about the music or the passion?

I try both, thinking that I’ll see the obvious choice on the contact-sheet. And I do.

My winner is #11. The tuning pegs of this 12⁠-⁠string guitar (although #7 is a solid contender).

It’s all there: the close-up; the hand; the music; and the passion ignited, in the form of a sparky reflection on the body of the guitar.