Romanian Gypsy Town
By Hila Ness
“I photograph what I see through the lens, don’t judge or stage situations, and don’t change reality to fit specific agendas.”
In this article, I exhibit one of the latest projects, where, as part of the trip to Romania, we visited rural areas and focused on the gypsy population and their way of life.
Usually, when we arrive at one of the villages, we stay for several hours, and the first to greet us is the children playing in the street. Within minutes, through smiles (and some sweets) and without knowing the local language, immediate connections are made with the children, and a conversation is being developed with their parents, mainly in sign language and a little English.
On this exciting trip to Transylvania, and thanks to this approach of talking and making connections without rushing and pressing the camera button while maintaining the dignity of the local population, we were invited to the houses. We got an authentic and close look at the local lifestyle and permission to take pictures with almost no restrictions.
Hila Ness
“I usually shoot in black and white, which, in my opinion, reflects reality without filters and distractions and allows you to see the real story”.
My name is Hila Ness, and I am a professional content editor and photographer in my heart and soul.
I’ve been taking pictures for over fifteen years and believe one picture is worth a thousand words, especially in this era of social networks and an abundance of messages and information.
I mainly shoot documentaries and street photography and prefer to focus on people, their personal stories, different social situations, and the subject’s profound emotional state, usually unseen by the eyes.
I photograph what I see through the lens, don’t judge or stage situations, and don’t change reality to fit specific agendas.
“I’ve been taking pictures for over fifteen years and believe one picture is worth a thousand words, especially in this era of social networks and an abundance of messages and information.”
When I go out to shoot a new project, I don’t take tripods or flash but only the camera and one or two lenses.
I shoot with wide lenses and not with telephoto lenses, and instead of shooting from afar and using the camera’s zoom, I use my feet as a zoom and get closer to the objects I’m photographing so that I can make eye contact with them, smile at them and have a conversation.
Over the years, I’ve learned that in this way, people will express less resistance to being photographed than with remote or stealth photography. I usually shoot in black and white, which, in my opinion, reflects reality without filters and distractions and allows you to see the real story; as the Canadian photojournalist Ted Grant said, “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and White, you photograph their souls!”
Over the years, I have presented in solo and group exhibitions and participated in numerous photography trips. The last of them, in May 2023, in Transylvania, Romania.
