I was once commissioned by a commercial interiors magazine, FX, to take a picture to illustrate bad office lighting. I went away and got on with it.

 

When I developed the neg I found a vertical scratch running all the way through it. This was in the days when photomanipulation machines still cost £100,000 and only used in advertising and I was not that good with a razor blade and spotting brush, which was the main solution at the time, so it was no easy fix. I shot it again but preferred the first version.

 

I then dropped the original neg on my dirty floor and stamped on it, dusted it off and put it in the enlarger. It was the ideal solution.

 

When I showed it to the art director she laughed and was both amazed and disconcerted by it. I was amazed that she was amazed becaused I had not expected that reaction. Anyway, they used it.

 

This year I thought I would use it for a Halloween T-shirt.