I seem to have expected more from this man because of his hat.
I’m not sure what, exactly. Something other than checking a phone, apparently. He’s dressed with a bit of distinction, and I’ve taken that as a promise that he’ll be doing something equally distinctive.
That’s quite a demand to place on somebody’s afternoon.
We do this with clothes. A small detail catches our attention and we start supplying the person to go with it. Before they’ve spoken, we’ve decided they’re confident, serious, interesting or likely to have strong opinions about coffee. Sometimes all we’ve established is that they own a jacket we wouldn’t buy.
A hat gives us a particularly generous amount to work with. Most people manage without one, so wearing one can look like a statement, even if the wearer simply likes having a hat.
The phone brings my expectations down to a more reasonable level. Whatever else his day involves, there’s something on a screen worth checking. I know that gesture well enough. It doesn’t become any less ordinary because the person doing it is better dressed.
There’s a familiar contradiction in wanting to look individual while also wanting to get on with things. We might enjoy choosing what to wear without wanting every trip outside to become a demonstration of our personality. You can make an effort in the morning and spend the afternoon buying toothpaste.
But as a photographer, I’m drawn to the effort. Distinctive clothes are easy to notice. It’s tempting to credit myself with finding an interesting person when, so far, I’ve noticed an interesting appearance.
That isn’t quite the same achievement.
The phone gives this photograph something I like because it interrupts the character I was beginning to invent. He hasn’t changed. My first impression has just had to accommodate another detail.
We’re generally happy to describe ourselves as complicated. We have reasons for things. Our clothes depend on the weather, what’s clean, where we’re going and whether we could be bothered. With strangers, we can be much more efficient. A hat, a posture, a glance, and we’ve nearly finished.
I catch myself doing it here. Even now, I’m tempted to imagine something suitably interesting on his screen, as though a shopping list would let the outfit down.
Mine wouldn’t bear that sort of scrutiny. It would probably say milk.