The gruff detective with a sly wit, the sultry femme fatale, the lighting, the mood, these are all hallmarks of the film noir genre.  There were many great pictures that graced the silver screens of the 1940s and 1950s but If you aren't familiar with film noir I will only have to name one member of this group to summarize the rest; The Maltese Falcon.   I can't help but marvel at the masterful use of composition and mood manufactured by these great film makers.   As a photographer and a student of light, what inspires me most about film noir was the cinematography from the great John Alton.  Ever since I studied Alton, I wanted to do my own tribute to his truly artful style.   First, I needed a scene to insert my detective and femme fatale so I wandered downtown Cedar Rapids and before long I had my location.  I pictured the detective leaving his office at night, lighting the last smoke from his third pack today.  He hears footsteps behind him.  He doesn't want to turn around because he already knows who it is.  It's her.

 

I chose this building because it had a vintage flair and it happened to be on a corner which is what I had in mind for the original composition.  I also love the sconces on the posts and the downtown lamp posts that are in the background on the left.  The building on the right doesn't fit the style of the piece but I'll address that later.