Being an Observer

I think the time I realised I was overly observant was in a corporate setting. How depressing is that?

The corporate working world involves meetings, lots of meetings, so I guess it is only natural that I would identify personal traits in a stale room in an equally stale glass box.

It would typically be that - coupled with introversion - I would observe before taking any action. Meetings would run on for hours and I’d be listening to utter trivia being tossed about by people paid several multiple times more than me. I bowed to their experience and infinite wisdom at the time.

Then there was that national team meeting, just before a Christmas party. It was lots of Powerpoint, piss poor coffee and stale ‘baked goods’ (hard to believe they were baked by anyone qualified in baking, and definitely short of being good).

A discussion had erupted about the name of the team. The intricacies of different nouns weighed up against the fairly obvious internal power struggle. At first I thought this was fairly typical and for all of 5 minutes I assumed it a really important issue.

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90 minutes later.

Still carrying the same notion I had in my head since minute 6 of the discussion, I plucked up the courage to raise my hand to speak. I was 22, OK, raising my hand was likely lame but I was a) anxious and b) unsure if what I was about to say was something I should say.

I said it anyway. I made my point. And if you really care I said it didn’t really matter what the team was called so long as we were known and provided a best-in-class service to clients.

The meeting then very quickly ended.

Understanding People

Fast forward several years (over a decade - blinkin’ heck!) and a new country, new job, new culture, new clients are being tossed at me.

I find myself in a Development Committee meeting with lots of white hair - everything is new to me and I am there early.

“So what do you do, Max?”

You know it’s going to go well when someone gets your name wrong and gives you that pompous look like you know next to nothing because you’re not in your early 90’s with a PhD.

The next internal meeting I was asked to give my perspective.

On both occasions it was confirmed that I had ‘hit the nail on the head’ and ‘perfectly reflected’ the context and understood the people.

In between both of these occasions there have been countless other examples of ‘reading the room’. A trait-come-behaviour I have seen well-paid executives fail to grasp, all to their detriment.

There is not much pre-meditation to observation, it just happens, if you let it.

I simply observe. I watch, listen and study the environment. Making notes, listening to the how and the what is said. Creating visual pictures of facial expressions, hand gestures of those talking and, sometimes more importantly, those not talking. All the time trying to work out what is really going on.

Human Connections

So what does this have to do with anything?

Well, if you can relate, then take up the chance to use it. Take this trait, manage it and use it to your advantage in whatever life throws at you. With the growth of AI and online noise, the human connections forged in the future will be built on the strength of subtleties, of personal relationships.

From family zoom calls to parties to photography. Take it in, let it soak like a bowl of starchy substance awaiting to be washed up. But importantly, record it. Write it or photograph it. Collect, review, reflect and go again. Find the things that matter - the signal in the noise - and start working with them.

Understanding human beings is often thrown out when compared to ‘technical’ skills, seen as ‘softer’ skills that no one will ever give you any training on. Well, who needs technical when I can get the information so much quicker from so many sources?

How we connect is fascinating, it’s unique. No one can replicate our connection to another human being; they can try but it’ll not breach the superficial surface. Human connection is deeper, more personal, more intimate.

Photography and Observing

When it comes to photography I think this is also an asset. Photography is about noticing the interesting, observing the unique and looking behind the prettiness. to find a deeper meaning.

I have taken to a gentle introduction to street photography. As I continue to develop my approach I think I am looking beyond the face, the eyes, and looking for human connection.

The emotion is removed for your interpretation, for you to observe.

Take the image above, what you don’t see is the little boys tongue sticking out and his hands clapped together as he weighs up his next move. His pacing around in between turns and the excitement to take his mother’s bishop from the board. Your story will be different.

Father and son, caught in an embrace. The little boy initiated the arm around his Father’s neck without taking his eyes off of the Busker performance.

There is a lot to be said for facial expression and eyes, which is why I love portrait photography.

But like many aspects of life we make judgements and assessments of people without all the information we could have. So why not have images that are redundant of facial expression or eye contact? It is then for you to observe and create your own fiction.

To observe is to take in more information, to really study what is happening. If you can do this, then it is for you to use that information. How you use it, for what motivations or goal is for you to decide.

It is far from a lesser skill because of its lack of professional qualification or academic status - it’s priceless because of it.

Unseen and All-Seeing

There is nothing wrong with being unseen but all-seeing. Observing is a superpower. Don’t let it go to waste.

Halifax Busker Festival 2025

All the images above were taken at Halifax Busker Festival held in July/ August on the Halifax waterfront, Nova Scotia.

The light was harsh and opportunities for images of the performances slim whilst respecting their performance areas and space. I did enjoy the challenge of photographing in the light and watching for lesser human connections.

I hope for there to be more human connection stories in the future, I feel like this is something I enjoy whilst leaning on a personality trait.

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Observing as a Photographer