Many of Michals' more elaborate sequence images are, of course, based on real incidents that have simmered in the subconscious and been processed through the photographer's imagination. "Chance Meeting," a six-image series shot in 1970 is one of those: "I love the idea of passing somebody in the street and not being sure whether you knew them. There's kind of a moment of recognition where two people pass each other and after they're gone they turn around, and connect, but in this case the connection's too late," says Michals.

11. Chance meeting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 He recalls the incident that triggered the series: "I was walking down Broadway and I passed the guy up and he - and I thought, why do I know him? I had gone about a block and I realized, I think I was in the Army with him. I turned around, but he was gone. I base everything on that kind of an observation."