Unfortunately, due to the size differential and some positioning issues, the ribs of the umbrella were visible in all my shots. Which led to me thinking, "if I zoom in on a portion of the Engine, perhaps I could get a cool silhouette of that." So I slapped on my macro setup, and proceeded to shoot parts of the Sterling Engine back lit by the umbrella.
One thing led to another. A second flash was introduced. I started getting drawn to the reflections in the base plate that were back lit by the umbrella. Eventually, I captured the image above.
What you're looking at is a support arm and part of the brass flywheel reflected in the base plate, and silhouetted by the umbrella flash. Before processing, it was a stark, cold, black on white image, with hints of gold for the flywheel. In LightZone, I played with the white balance to see if I could remove all hints of color. Instead, I ended up going the other way, emphasizing warmth.
The image evokes the sense of motion in me, even though there is none in the object I was photographing. Sometimes I imagine liquid flowing out of a vessel. Other times I see a multi-legged creature skittering across the frame. I would never connect the Sterling Engine with this photo if I had not taken it.
