Once in a while--a VERY long while--it happens. "It" being the good fortune of seeing one of your all-time best shots appear out of nowhere. Of course we all hope this will happen every time we click the shutter release button, but does it? Hell, no. If I get one of these shots a year I'm happy...ecstatic actually.

As for this particular image, I don't really know how I managed to capture this composition, why the colors are so vibrant, why there is such a life and energy to the whole. All I know is that I feel grateful, oh so grateful to be a photographer. Can't imagine anything I'd rather be doing with my life.

Now, I must say a huge thank you to this beautiful young woman with her sense of drama and Cleopatra profile for agreeing to participate in my Mirror Me project. It is because of her that this image sings...