WHO?
I am Ilan Ben Yehuda from the city of Ramat Gan in Israel. For a living, I do graphic design for the fashion industry. I studied film photography (black and white) about 25 years ago at Camera Obscura in Tel Aviv. About 12 years ago I started photographing intensively on the street. First documentary photography and later street photography, mainly in south Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. In recent years I had the honor of winning several times in Israeli documentary photography competitions, and my works have been represented in the museum.
WHAT?
I take candid street photos. I tend to photograph people in certain situations that create an interesting, surrealistic, visual human story. It is important to me not to convey the exact description of the event but to create a new story through manipulations of light and shadow, composition, and sometimes also by using flash.
WHERE?
Everywhere, but I prefer to concentrate on photography in the environment in which I live. Most of my photography work is divided between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. In Jerusalem, my work is focused on the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods and the Old City. I usually take street pictures there, and events related to Jewish and Christian holidays. In Tel Aviv, I take photos on the street and concentrate on the Carmel market, and the beach.
WHEN?
I shoot at least 3 or 4 times a week. In addition, during the year I shoot on Jewish or Christian holidays and other events such as the Pride Parade, demonstrations, and of course during vacations abroad.
WHY?
When I am thinking about the why, I really don’t have a clear answer. This activity of shooting people and sharing photography with others is a strange and illogical activity. But I have a passion to take photos. I love the process of taking photos and the cathartic feeling when I discover a good new image. The approval of other people to my photos intensifies this feeling. Photography for me is also a form of communication. It contains within it not only the reflection of reality but also my thoughts and feelings; through photography I pass these on to other people.
