Ian Bradshaw, "The Twickenham Streaker"
1974
"The Twickenham Streaker" was taken by Ian Bradshaw at a rugby match in Twickenham, England in 1974. I greatly admire that, in pure spontaneity, Bradshaw was able to capture an array of emotions into one single shot. The commotion of the crowd's reaction to Michael O'Brien, the man who bares all, offer a layer of authentic energy within the shot, as they are bewildered and stunned, but thoroughly entertained by O'Brien's vulnerability. The policemen that escort O'Brien try to suppress their smiles, but it is clear they have a sort of forbidden admiration for his act of rebellion. And finally, with his arms out wide and his eyes holding a serious gaze with the policeman that shields the world from seeing it all, O'Brien is fearless and confident in his heroic act of disrupting the monotony and oppression of everyday life. In the midst of unforeseen chaos, Bradshaw perfectly captures the freedom-land generation that was the seventies, as well as society's reaction to the generational expression. One day, I hope to make photographs that speak so accurately about my generation just as Bradshaw did here.
