Yves Behar, Grimace (December theme: Portrait)

I photographed this image many years ago and have recently scanned the B&W negative and restored the image in Photoshop. I was surprised at the image coming back to life and revealing its story to me. Whilst strolling through the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, I unexpectedly came across this chap seating on park bench wearing a mask. I asked the chap’s permission for a photo and when I raised the camera to shoot, he poked his tongue and grimaced. I didn’t know what I had really captured on film until I got in the darkroom.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.