Guarding Democracy

Shot on film, this frame came from a day of walking — not searching, just watching. I didn’t need to look far. Two officers, positioned under a temporary gazebo, leaned into casual conversation, framed by the barricade they were meant to man. Beyond them, a crowd gathered in orderly concentration. The juxtaposition wasn’t loud, but it was clear: authority in the foreground, public in the distance. The separation was both literal and symbolic.

The choice to shoot from behind the barrier wasn’t just compositional — it was contextual. I wanted to keep the divide intact. The vertical bars bisecting the two officers are rigid, unforgiving. They draw the eye down, while the street pulls it back. Depth here isn’t cinematic — it’s structural.

This was a tough exposure to meter. High contrast, bright stone under midday sun, deep shadows beneath the canopy. I opted to expose for the highlights, letting the figures fall almost into silhouette. That’s where the drama sits: in the anonymity of the uniforms, the sunglasses, the gear.

Technically, the image holds detail just enough. Grain is present — a result of fast film and no filters — but it adds tension. Clean digital would’ve killed the atmosphere. The film renders the tonal range with enough texture to separate the blacks from the background while maintaining a sense of weight.

The image isn’t about confrontation. It’s about presence. Two men doing their job, framed within a system that governs both them and those they stand before. Democracy is not always loud. Sometimes, it’s just two silhouettes at rest, watching.