By Scott Shephard

When I was in junior high, I read a book about Michelangelo and decided that I wanted to be an artist, too. I got the "P" volume of the World Book Encyclopedia off of the shelf and went to the "Painting" pages. I studied the art pictured there so much that the pages were well-worn.

I also took painting lessons and believed that if I were a true genius (like Michelangelo), I wouldn't have to work at my art - it would come naturally. And, naturally, I was therefore a failure. But even  though I failed, the book sparked a life-long interest in art. I still study paintings - online and also in art museums wherever I find one.

And, as a photographer, I realize that all of the art I have looked at influences everything I see and how I see it. Sometimes this is subliminal and unconscious. But sometimes the influence is overt, as it is in this photo.

When I posed for this selfie, I was thinking of the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich and his painting Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog. Except for the pose, the clothing and the setting, I would say it's an exact duplicate. Right? Well, ok, it's not. But Friedrich certainly inspired the photo, which, to borrow from music, is "a sampled remix." Thank you Caspar David Friedrich!

Canon 5DIII f/4.5 ISO400 16mm (HDR)