Curtsy: A Story of Resilience, Photography, and the Power of Art

In 2022, a severe weather event left my home badly damaged when a large, healthy tree crashed into it during two days of relentless rain and winds reaching up to 60 mph. The studio bore the brunt of the destruction—its roof collapsed, and water poured in. At around 4 or 5 a.m., after shutting off the electricity at the breaker box, I waded through ankle-deep water, focused on securing what I could. My priority was to wait for daylight when I could fully assess the damage, contact the insurance company, and begin the difficult process of salvaging everything.

The devastation was overwhelming. The ceiling had gaping holes where the sky was now visible, and the unrelenting rain only made matters worse. To top it off, the massive tree still lay on the roof.

That was a year I will never forget. It took a whole year to settle the insurance claim and nearly as long to rebuild my home and studio. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and none of my 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.

At the time, the studio walls were being replastered, and plastic sheeting divided the space in half. Once the carpenters had finished for the day, I moved a small desk—normally used for digitizing equipment—into the limited space. Taking advantage of the late afternoon light streaming through the windows, I used one of the freshly plastered walls as my backdrop. Despite the cramped conditions, I was determined to express my emotions through 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 also captured a few frames with my Fujifilm X100V compact camera for two reasons: first, to have a color reference in case I later decided to hand-color a black-and-white image, and second, because the natural colors were so striking that I might prefer the digital version over the film image. This approach gave me artistic flexibility and options to explore. It wasn’t until 2025 that I finally processed the digital version and also revisited a quick behind-the-scenes image, which appears at the end of this article.

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.