The idea of juxtaposition photography is a popular one. It inspired the contents of this photo. I asked my 30-year-old friend Scott Young, an industrial safety consultant and former Tampa Electric Lineman, to pose for this picture in his arc flash protection suit, sparking two high-power wires together (in a completely unsafe manner). He and I had worked on an electrical project several years before, and I remarked on how cool the suit, especially the mirrored hood, looked. The idea for the shoot eventually came together in my head, and this was the result. You get by with a little help (and posing) from your friends. What a great sport.

He brought two thick pieces of cable, and I purchased some extra-large sparklers that we lit, and he crisscrossed them together.

He is lit with two flagged speed lights behind him, out of the frame on the camera left and right, and a beauty dish above the camera position. We took a couple of shots with a light in the helmet to light his face. They came out okay, but I liked the obscured face with the reflection of the spark and his gloves better.