Layers of ProtectionOverlapping plates of steel protect the shoulder and arm while still allowing the wearer to move. This close view focuses on the remarkable construction and craftsmanship required to balance protection with mobility. While studying this particular suit of armor, I became fascinated by its construction. All of those individual layers of steel had to work together, not only to protect the person wearing it, but to give them enough freedom of movement to actually fight.

That strikes me as a pretty remarkable engineering problem. Each piece has to be curved, shaped and mounted so it can move with the body while still doing its job. Too little movement and you're basically just a bump in the road. Plenty of movement but no protection probably isn't much better.

Somehow, these suits manage to find a balance between the two.

For this photograph, I concentrated on the shoulder and arm, where you can really see those overlapping layers and how they fit together. I wanted the image to be as much about the construction of the armor as the armor itself.

Echoes in Steel grew from an opportunity through the Worcester Art Museum Members Council to create photographs for auction at its annual members gala. As a thank-you for that opportunity, and to support the arts, I’m donating 50% of the profits from print sales in this series to the Worcester Art Museum.