Robert Poole

Waffleman
I love this shot. The composition might not be technically perfect and I’ve made my usual mistake of not concentrating on the edge of the frame, but I think it’s not enough to ruin this shot.

I took this at the Christmas European Markets in Manchester last December. We were queuing up to buy Belgium waffles and behind the counter stood this chap. I saw the picture before I took it. The weariness on his face; the droopy moustache like a downturned smile; the flour streaked across the apron; the irony of the merry Christmas sign behind him on the wall.

I’ve said it before, street photography is about capturing the human condition. The expression on this man’s face tells us a lot about humans. We can be alone in a crowd.

Of course photos are great liars, we see an image and write our own story. I never asked the Waffle man what he was thinking so we’ll never know.