Tough Enough

I took this photograph on a busy crossing, stopping behind a man whose style caught my attention immediately. His shaved head, chain accessories, and heavy branding on both shirt and jeans projected a deliberate identity—part biker, part urban cowboy, part street performance. The clothing itself, emblazoned with wings, stars, and slogans, seemed designed to announce toughness before a word was spoken.

From a compositional standpoint, I chose to shoot from behind, letting the graphics on his clothes dominate the frame. This perspective makes the man more symbol than portrait, reducing him to a surface of imagery and text. The striped pedestrian crossing beneath his feet adds a rhythm of lines that contrasts with the visual overload of his outfit. The vertical glass facade in the background further pushes the contrast between raw personal style and the sleek anonymity of the city.

Technically, I exposed for the details in the clothing, ensuring the blacks of the shirt and jeans retained texture rather than sinking into shadow. The daylight was diffused by the surrounding buildings, which softened the highlights and allowed for even rendering of tones. Sharpness was key—the stitching, patches, and metallic details needed to remain crisp for the visual impact to hold. The colours, though strong, were left natural, avoiding saturation that might tip the image into caricature.

What interests me is how the photograph reads as both documentary and commentary. It records a real person in a real city, but it also highlights how identity is curated through symbols and consumer goods. The subject stands at a crossing, not just of streets, but of cultures—between individual expression and mass branding, between toughness performed and toughness lived.