To pose or not to pose—that is the question.

Since day one of If They Don’t Win It’s a Shame, I’ve kept a hard and fast rule of neither seeking nor using posed pictures. I want to capture the “raw ballpark experience”, not someone acting for me. I’m also terrible at making posed pictures.

In reviewing the work made the past two seasons, I’ve been thinking about the above photo. It is the lone staged photo I’ve made that is not a case of me being too cowardly to tell someone off that wants me to take their picture. Even then, it was unintentional—I tried asking this gentleman something and he did not understand a word of English. After we tried communicating for some time, he eventually posed and I pressed the shutter button.

I don’t think it’s something that would make a final cut but…it kinda works. The exposure and composition are solid, if not great. Conceptually, it hits a few important themes—subtly too. Why not bend my rule going forward? On the one hand, no harm no foul in making the picture and not using it in the final edit. On the other hand, film prices…

What about photos where the scene is organic, but someone’s glance is directed at the camera? Here everyone is looking in a different direction, each pre-occupied in their own world. Except the gentleman in the bottom right corner. He’s staring right at me. Does it break the fourth wall I want to keep in tact? Or is it a faint nod of recognition to what I am trying to convey?

If you’re reading this and have an opinion, by all means, tell me—I’m still figuring it out. Are rules meant to be broken?