Michael Lynch, The Old Stage Hand (PEOPLE 2025)

I was walking past the back of a stage at the Kurri Kurri Nostalgia Festival in March this year and saw this interesting guy having a smoke. So, I asked him if I could take his photo, when I looked into his eyes through the lens, I saw a depth of life that can’t be faked, I could sense his inner world through his eyes, a quiet story of everything that he has lived through, while talking to him. No flash used just natural light, this is one of 3 frames I took, and I’m pleased with the result.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.