In 2022, a severe weather event caused significant damage to my home when a large, healthy tree fell onto it during two days of heavy rain and winds reaching up to 60mph. The studio suffered the worst damage; its roof collapsed, and water flooded in. It was around 4-5 a.m., and wisely, I refrained from turning on any lights as I waded through ankle-deep water. I did my best to secure the studio and waited for daylight to assess the situation fully, contact the insurance company, and remove everything quickly. The studio was so damaged that you could see the sky through places where the ceiling used to be, and the relentless rain worsened the situation. To top it off, that enormous tree still rested on the roof!

That was a year I will never forget! It took a year to settle the claim and almost as long to rebuild my home and studio, but thank goodness no one got hurt, and no gear had to be replaced.

Curtsy was created in the studio during its reconstruction. Frustrated by the disarray and longing to use my studio and equipment again, I photographed a beautiful bouquet of tulips that had been gifted to me earlier in the week.

The studio walls were being replastered then, and plastic sheeting divided the space. Once the carpenters had left for the day, I set up a small table in the limited space, took advantage of the natural light filtering through the windows, and used plastic sheeting as my backdrop. Despite the cramped conditions, I was determined to capture my emotions using slow exposures, selective focus, and deep bokeh.

Choosing the right camera and lens was straightforward. I opted for my trusted Hasselblad 501CM with the CFi 180/4 lens. I was confident in my ability to use the 180 lens to capture the mood I aimed to portray in the image: strength, patience, and beauty.

I had a clear vision of what I wanted to create before shooting (previsualization) and utilized the camera’s aperture preview feature to frame the shot and selectively focus. I was going for the least amount of depth of field but with a thin focus on a selected area.

The exposures were in the 2-minute range, but one nice thing about Fujifilm Acros II is that you do not have to deal with a film reciprocity factor. Still, I probably gave an extra 30 seconds just for good measure.

I shot two rolls of film because my Patterson tanks can handle two rolls of 120 simultaneously, so I also captured some frames using the CFi 100/3.5 lens. However, the 180 lens indeed achieved the effects I was aiming for.

Curtsy (this frame) resonates with me the most of all the frames I captured that day. I’ve always identified with tulips; like them, I bend and persevere through life’s challenges.

In every unexpected challenge lies an opportunity for creativity. Let this story remind you that even amidst chaos, the lens of perseverance focuses us, turning obstacles into art. Embrace each moment, frame by frame, and let your vision shine through adversity.