20/2.8D and Free Weights

My other obsession is pushing chunks of metal into the air. It's a great stress reliever, and surprisingly social. Many of the denizens of the weight room are youngsters, and playing there has earned me a number of friends who are young enough to be my grandkids, which helps me keep in touch with the modern world.

One of my favorite lifters is young Mike. I met him 3 years ago, when he was a scrawny 14 year old, and have watched him grow into a fine, powerful young man, who now benches 355 lbs. He's been a trainer for the last year, but will resign next week to head off to college. I brought my 20mm lens to the gym on Saturday, and tried to make a special picture for him.

I posed him hoisting a pair of 100 lb. dumbbells on the flat bench, and stood on a bench so I could shoot down, and distort the size of the weights. I flipped the image vertically, converted it to b&w to get this result.

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