Retired anchors

 

The Man in the Iron Mask

The object in the first picture began life, I believe, as part of a fishing boat.  Obviously it has outlived its original purpose and, because of its weight, now serves as a mooring point for a rowing boat.  I was attracted by its colour and texture, its shape and shadows and the contrast between the rope and the rusty metal.

 

 

But somehow my photograph didn’t give me the buzz of success I’d anticipated.  I viewed it numerous times and experimented with different ways of cropping.  Eventually I inverted the image and found a face staring at me.  By changing the Mode and flattening the colours the Man in the Iron Mask was born.