In this portrait of a Xian Tai Chi instructor, I've tried to capture a sense of confidence and serenity that comes along with such skills. She had just given a very basic Tai Chi lesson to our tour group on the patio of our hotel, and was quietly standing back in the shadows watching her new students practicing the moves she had just taught them. She was so intent on watching them that I doubt if she ever saw me make this picture. I exposed for her pink costume, making the reflected students and rocks in the bronzed window vanish into darkness. I placed her in the center of frame because it put the picture into balance and harmony, so important to an understanding of the art of Tai Chi. I saw in her expression and body language a cool and somewhat good-natured sense of appraisal -- very much the point I was trying to make with this portrait.