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Why do used wine corks seem to have character. Compare a new (unused) cork to a used one. They look like a fat baby and a old man.

Just like corks, old men have endured lots of stress, leaving cracks and fissures that we've learned to call "character." At least, that's my story...

I always love your monochromes (or duotones or whatever), Reid. Really nice, moody stuff.

Thanks, Sir Pat.

You can "duo" it, too. Use this tutorial ("The Claw") to separate out a layer of highlight tones (user defined), and a layer of shadow tones. Then I just do a saturation/colorize on each of them, one warm, one cool, and the midtones (now your background layer, or what shows through of it) stay neutral and provide a transition.

There's probably 101 easier ways to get a similar look, but that's how I do it. "The Claw" is powerful.