The Noctilux Flathead

I stretched myself across a 2x10 plank, balanced precariously on two wobbly ladders, to snag this shot. Below me sat a flathead motor worth more than my truck, and in my hands, a $12,000 Noctilux lens on loan—an unholy combination of financial terror and physical recklessness. I managed to fire off a few frames before the grim physics of my rig started gnawing at my brain, and my nerve gave out.

This image, shot on HP5, is one of those fleeting attempts. It lives on 22x17 photo paper, the kind that bleeds when you get it wrong—which I did, repeatedly. I’ll print five of these, sign and number each (on the back, of course), and you’re welcome to one. The price? A reflection of how much paper I butchered chasing perfection. If nothing else, it’s a piece of a moment when the risk felt damn near worth it.