I met Ron Watson at the new Kress Contemporary, the freshly remodeled former Kress building in Ybor City housing artist spaces, exhibitions, and events. His studio, which he calls Shades of Gray, is a beautiful space filled with his graphite pencil sketches. In some of his work, he takes contemporary and historical art and reproduces them sometimes with the faces of family members. Most of his work is of African American subjects with a strong spiritual tone. Ron is a West Tampa native and served in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is a soft-spoken, enthusiastic guy. Conversations with him about art, life, and even race are intriguing and insightful.

For his photograph, I wanted to capture the idea of “Shades of Gray” by making most of the image monotone. In this shot, the color of his skin and a couple of other pops of color, all surrounded by his gray-and-white work, were enough to convey this idea.

Technical Information- Gear: Canon EOS 5D MK IV, Canon EF16-35f/2.8L USM @16mm

Exposure: 1/80s @ f/4 ISO 1600 Lighting: 2 studio flashes- 1 gridded strip box high camera left, and 1 soft box key light camera right. Ambient window light and desk lamp practical.