A musician's relationship to their instrument is not always harmonious. The instrument's needs must be met, its keys oiled, its bores swabbed, and its reeds soaked. And even then, in every instrument, there is a monster that can suddenly awake, and take revenge upon the player for crimes unspoken.
I humbly submit the above photo to the Shadow Hunters SMASH 190 contest, with the footnote that while many of the best shots I have taken were spontaneous, unplanned, and opportunistic, this one was carefully planned. I sketched it out the night before the shoot (how I wish I could find that piece of paper!) and had to convince the model (the guy, not the clarinet) to do it with me.
At first he didn't want to, then he did it because I begged and pleaded, and then he came to like and appreciate the photo.
A successful shoot! The best side effect of this shoot was that we went to a café afterwards to get a bite to eat, and ended up sitting at a table with a wonderful woman, F., who is now a dear friend of mine, and I just this week had the honor of photographing her wedding!