A haunting photograph of the late Duncan Sheik is attracting new attention after celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart revealed that the striking "angel" effect in the image happened almost entirely by accident.
Cowart shared the photograph while mourning Sheik, the Grammy- and Tony-winning singer-songwriter who died on September 17 at the age of 56. Sheik reportedly suffered heart failure that led to cardiac arrest at his Manhattan home. He is survived by his wife, Nora Ariffin, their daughter, Ines, and his parents. People first confirmed the heartbreaking news.
The black-and-white portrait shows Sheik walking through a passageway at New York City's Irish Hunger Memorial. Brilliant light pouring into the tunnel appears to form wings behind the singer, while a small circular vent positioned directly above his head resembles a halo.
Cowart has long called it "the angel shot," but he admitted that its most unforgettable details were never planned.
"I've always called it 'the angel shot,'" Cowart wrote. "And the crazy thing is, it was semi-accidental."
The photographer explained that he was still at the beginning of his career when he and Sheik entered the passageway in Battery Park City. Drawn to the tunnel's symmetry, repeating lines and dramatic natural light, Cowart asked the "Barely Breathing" singer to walk toward his camera.
He slowed the shutter speed to capture the glowing light behind Sheik and bounced his flash off the ceiling to illuminate the musician's face. It was only after checking the back of his camera that Cowart noticed how perfectly everything had aligned.
"The tunnel had given him wings. The vent had given him a halo. And somehow, without planning any of it, everything lined up," he recalled.
Cowart said he immediately exclaimed, "OMG YOU'RE AN ANGEL!" after realizing what he had captured.
The photograph would become far more than a beautiful celebrity portrait. Cowart's Hollywood agent placed it at the front of his portfolio, and the photographer believes it helped open doors and launch his career. Yet the image never would have existed if Cowart had not taken an intimidating chance after attending one of Sheik's concerts.
He simply approached the singer and said, "I want to photograph you."
That bold request led Cowart to New York, produced one of the signature images of his early career and began a lasting friendship with Sheik. Cowart used the story to encourage others not to allow fear to silence them.
"Always take the risk. Always make the ask," he wrote. "The worst they can say is no."
For Cowart, however, the photograph now carries a deeper and more painful meaning. He said he had been sitting in his studio listening repeatedly to Sheik's music and reflecting on how profoundly the musician influenced his own artistic development.
Although Sheik became internationally known through his 1996 breakthrough hit "Barely Breathing," Cowart stressed that his friend was much more than that one song. Sheik went on to reshape contemporary musical theater as the composer of Spring Awakening, which won eight Tony Awards after opening on Broadway in 2006. Sheik personally received Tony Awards for best original score and best orchestrations, while the cast recording earned a Grammy Award. The Associated Press
"His songwriting, his melodies, his art, all of it got into my bones at such a formative time in my life," Cowart wrote. "His art helped shape my art."
The photographer's tribute ultimately transformed the "angel shot" into an image of artistic influence, friendship and gratitude. What began with an unplanned halo and an accidental pair of wings has now become an especially poignant remembrance of an artist whose work helped inspire another artist's calling.
"And somehow I got the gift of knowing the human behind it too," Cowart concluded. "Forever grateful for this photograph. Forever grateful for the friendship. Forever grateful for Duncan."
