An Interview with
Gabi Ben Avraham
“Photography for me is
A passion. It is my way of looking at the world around me,
whereby I can express my feelings and show the world from my point of view.”
Hello Gabi, We are honored to inerview you for our magazine, Please Interduce yourself to our readers,
Hello, Its an honored to be interviewd for the Israeli ens Magazine. My name is Gabi (Gavriel) Ben-Avraham. I am 55 years old, and married with three children aged 24, 26 and 19. I work in a software company and live in a quiet neighborhood of Tel Aviv, the city which I grew up in, have never left and is a part of me and my hobby – photography. I enjoy cinema and music, and during the 1980’s photographed using film cameras. I then did not touch a camera for 20 years until I received a digital camera as a gift for my birthday from my wife 2 years ago. The rest is history….
Tell us what drew you to street photography?
“Street photography is my favorite genre. The street is not a studio. Sometimes I stand and wait for things to converge – a cyclist, a dancer, a child – moving along. They are not aware that they are moving towards a certain object, but I am. Via the camera lens I am constantly looking around me, searching for that ‘decisive’ moment that will never return, unless I catch it. When pushing the button, I try to make some sense, restore order to the chaotic scheme of things in the composition. The components ‘speak’ with each other in a special dialogue, either by color, shape, or light. Capturing the elusive, special moment after which things will never be the same and making it eternal – that is my challenge. Forgotten, transparent people in urban surroundings are being granted their moment of grace. The shadows, fragile outlines, reflections within daily lives that are not noticed in the busy and thick urban landscape and sometimes are even crushed by it – these are precious to me.”
Looking at your photographs, it seems that Henri Cartier-Bresson was a big influence. Is that a correct assumption?
“Indeed. No doubt that his photos influenced me, especially in my B/W photos, from the surrealistic point of view and the special compositions. Nevertheless, I want my photos to have my signature.”
Are there any other master photographers who you are taking inspiration from? Are there particular works of theirs you find memorable? What is it about their work that makes them stand out to you? ” I was inspired by the works of Alex Webb, Felix Lupa and Steve McCurry because they are very unique, but there are many more masters you can learn from, such as Magnum and In-Public Collectives.”
Read the full article on Israeli Lens Magazine Issue #10 Street Photography
