Most of the photos I like best weren’t taken in clean conditions. There’s almost always something between me and the subject: a pane of museum glass, a tank of water, a dark street, a church lit by a few oil lamps. These five pictures all have that problem in common, and each one got solved a slightly different way.

Armor Behind Museum Glass

Armor is a gift to photograph. Polished plate throws light back in long, clean highlights, and the shape reads instantly even in a small frame. The glass is the enemy. Stand back and you get the room, the ceiling lights and yourself reflected across the steel.