I thought they were going to hug when I was focusing on them (the man on the right was just arriving, and I had no prior knowledge that they were a couple). After I made the picture I debated briefly (given the context of the shot) whether to turn it over to the client, a school district that was putting on an event recently. I like the shot as much as I like a tasteful PDA between any two people (gay or straight) – call me a romantic. I turned in the image. After all, I was hired to shoot candid and atmosphere. While others may disagree given their differing opinions about same-sex couples, I felt like I had a roll (however small as a photographer) to help normalize and/or mainstream (as the two men were doing throughout the evening) manifestations of a healthy relationship between two individuals (in this case, two men).
I’m not out there shooting (photojournalism or otherwise) nearly as much as most of you who post on this site. So, maybe I’m behind the times or I’m over thinking this. Wondering what some of you might have to say.
