As you probably know by now, this month, TIME is busy sharing the stories behind the 100 most influential images of all time. And today, they shared some fascinating insights into the famous photograph of 11 construction workers having lunch on a steel beam 840 feet above New York City.
Offering a very cinematic, editorial-style look at tradesmen doing their work, Japan-based photographer Yohei Shimada’s Workman series is an impressive display of photographic talent. The series was born out of necessity and a lack of subject matter in Shimada's small hometown of Nara. Having moved back there after completing an internship in Tokyo and coming into his own as a photographer, Shimada had to turn to the people he knew -- including his parents and friends -- to capture the series you see here.