Outsiders in a crowd
Audience in sun glasses, Sea World, San Antonio
We like to hide, even in crowds. Sunglasses allow us to deny to ourselves that people can see us; indeed, they do prevent others from knowing that we are staring at them. Sunglasses allow us to be outsiders in a crowd without embarrassment. Sunglasses allow men to study women – plausible deniability is always a lie.
It was not until weeks after I had taken this picture, when preparing to print it from Photoshop, that I noticed that I knew one of the people in it. Neither of us knew that the other was there until I showed him the print. Neither of us were wearing sunglasses; I guess you can be invisible in a crowd even without the expense of eye shades.
This is one of a collection of people photographs that I have just gathered into the selection you can find on the main Web site named, imaginatively, People.
