I'm a big fan of collaborations, and I love to support the arts in any way, shape or form possible. So when I was asked by the Worcester Art Museum Members’ Council if I'd be willing to create some images specifically to auction off at one of their galas, of course I said yes—even before I knew exactly what they were looking for.

A few months before this came up, the Higgins Armory Museum had closed its doors after 82 years in operation and donated its collection to the Worcester Art Museum. I bring this up because one of the goals of that year's gala was to help raise money to retrofit a section of the museum to house the arms and armor collection donated by the Higgins Armory.

I worked with the Members’ Council to come up with the idea of photographing some of the actual pieces, but approaching them as art rather than as museum documentation.

What we came up with was pretty amazing: another photographer and I were given after-hours access to the collection, along with a dedicated docent each to help us through the process.

Of course, I couldn't touch any of the pieces. I was allowed to bring in my own lighting as long as I didn't flash the paintings. I'd explain what I wanted from each piece, and the docent would help me set things up, make sure my lighting wasn't spraying somewhere it shouldn't, and generally keep me honest.

We photographed a bunch of the standing armor, and then my docent asked if I had any interest in photographing some other pieces. He brought out a catalog, and I chose a couple of swords and a pair of gauntlets.

For those, I talked through the arrangement I wanted, and he very carefully—white gloves and all—positioned everything while I took test images. We'd make adjustments until we settled on the final "pose."

In the end, the Members’ Council chose two of my photographs. I printed them on aluminum, they were auctioned at the gala, and each raised a few hundred dollars for the museum. They were thrilled with the results.

And that could have been the end of it.

But I came away from the experience with a collection of photographs I really loved. Eventually, those photographs became Echoes in Steel.

Over the course of this series, I'm going to share a handful of my favorites, along with a little about why I chose to represent each piece the way I did.

There's also one more piece to this.

As a thank-you for the opportunity that led to Echoes in Steel—and in support of the arts—I will donate 50% of the profits from print sales in this series to the Worcester Art Museum.

It's my way of saying thank you for giving me an opportunity I never would have had otherwise, and of continuing to support the arts however I can.

The Watcher