Don't look at me

1:35:43pm 18/03/1995 - Donald Bradman shows his batting grip. For the book, The Don by Roland Perry.

The purpose of sharing these posts is to stimulate some thought around photography and draw attention to our work in a discreet manner, echoing one of the optimum positions for a photographer: observing and recording what is happening without getting too much in the way.

Few people like to look down the barrel of a lens– notwithstanding the obvious trend– in another person’s hands, we either tolerate it or exaggerate our personal traits.

In the absence of invisibility, the next best technique for the photographer to refine is: courtesy. This manner has to be genuinely felt, because it’s not a derivative of fashion or based on self interests… courtesy is that element which marks the difference between being a welcome participant or an intruder.

This image above is from a legendary photo session with Donald Bradman, at a time when the great sportsman and national treasure was becoming more famous for avoiding attention. It was no accident that after 5 or 6 hours of casual picture taking during an interview session for a book, he allowed, even requested, for a formal portrait sitting to take place.