Which one of these young footballers do you identify with? Amit Lennon's best photograph

"These boys were playing for Colebrook Royals, a football club in Chigwell, Essex. It was 2019 and they were in the dressing room before team practice for a photoshoot arranged by the charity YoungMinds. The plan was that, after the photos, the boys would speak to two dads Nick Easey and Ryan Smith who had lost their teenage sons to suicide. The fathers wanted the boys to share their own feelings about mental health, to normalise such conversations,"

"As we waited for the dads to arrive, I noticed something interesting going on and I took a single shot. I think I was drawn to how groups had formed between the boys there's a nice symmetry in the frame. Three boys are looking at me, three are looking across and the other three are looking down. Also the colours are pleasing. Even though it's a shot of a team, wearing the same kit, you can see different personalities coming across, different emotions and allegiances."

"It sits between a posed shot and reportage, a moment within a staged setup. My pictures of the Windrush generation were displayed outside. Someone scratched off the eyes in every single photograph It captures a certain adolescent awkwardness. It's fun as a viewer to think about which of the boys is most like your younger self. Who do you most identify with? I think I would be one of the boys looking over sideways, seeing what's going on and wanting to be included."

Boys from Colebrook Royals gathered in a Chigwell dressing room in 2019 for a YoungMinds photoshoot before practice. Two fathers who had lost teenage sons to suicide were scheduled to speak about mental health and encourage open conversation in a male football environment. Lights were set up and the boys chose where to sit; a single candid shot captured symmetrical groupings, varied gazes, pleasing colors, and distinct personalities despite identical kits. The image occupies the space between posed portraiture and reportage, conveying adolescent awkwardness and inviting viewers to imagine narratives. Photographs of the Windrush generation displayed outside had their eyes scratched off.

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