About one of our street poets: Beniliam

R

ruben

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How many galleries do we have here at RFF ? several thousands ? I have no idea.
How many galleries I hapenned to view thanks to the opening page icons ? Something between 20 and 50, I do not know exactly. The last one I saw during some hour and half, made me jump from my chair, tongue out: compa Beniliam's "street stories":

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=5364

Beniliam seems to have been blessed by many interacting qualities, like a strong compositional eye, quick camera reaction to the surroundings, an enviable sense of humor and sensitivity towards people, and, I am sure a great ability to communicate with his human subjects.

To all these, he has added his highly developed technique for street photography.
One of his "tricks" that I perceive, is that instead of trying to catch people unaware of him and his camera, sometimes he just waits for them to react and then he clicks his magic camera.

Now, it is not only his great inspiration, but also his great traspiration, roaming the streets at such a pace, shoe sellers can only be happy about. I know it as I happened to know pesonally two great street photographers. No other way, no shortcut, you have to walk and walk and walk for endless hours during your workday. It reminds me very much, when during my twenties I was selling encyclopaedias from door to door in Barcelona. You knock dozens and dozens of doors, staircases up and down, getting "NO !", while when the real opportunity appears then you must arrive to it in shape to be able to use it. But in street photography the awareness counts by miliseconds ! !

As I posted to Beniliam in my comments, some pics are undistinguishable from HCB work while others strongly remind no less than the great Andre Kertecz.

Lastly, like the great Argentinian Tango singer Carlos Gardel at his early career, when you hear him so happy about his strong and golden voice, that you hear him playing with tones as a circus virtuoso for his own delight, Beniliam seems to feel at the street so sure of himself that at some pics you feel him just throwing the camera to the air and clicking when it falls back to his hand.

This is the first time for me that upon seeing images through the computer I feel a strong desire to see them printed at big size in a non-virtual gallery.

Cheers,
Ruben

PS: comrade Shutterflower take note of this new type of thread.
 
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dreilly said:
Ruben,
What a sweet write-up. I'm off to the gallery.
doug

Thank you, but my last name is Bittermann. The real sweet are Beniliam's pics. Upon seeing them you may feel I was rather short of sight.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
An awful lot of wonderful stuff there! Thanks for pointing this out.

Seems to me unsolicited endorsements by members of others' galleries will be just the sort of thing we need to look at them and be inspired.
 
I concur, some of Beniliam pictures are indeed in my favorites.
 
Thanks for finding them Ruben. They are amazing. Haven't been through, but then I have the whole day to look at them. One thing for sure, they make me want to shoot again.
 
Street poet is an apt description of Beniliam's work.

His 'little girl running toward the big bird" photo (submitted for the RFF contest) still ranks as one of the best shots I've seen on RFF ... bar none.

Well deserved praise 🙂
 
Ouch...

This early morning I went for make a course of formation for a work for this summer, yesterday I went to bed lated and a bit sad ... This morning see the post of George, if had different answers.
When I finished my class I walked with the camera and made some photos. In my mind I asked myself the value of the photography. Willy Ronis have one exhibition these days in Madrid. Have one phrase very important that say: You can have the glance or not. This is decisive. The glance intuition, its difficult of learn, but I dont born with this glance, I have in my glance, the glance of other and my own glance. All mix, what is my real glance? I dont know. Well, I believe that much of the secret of do good photos is the persistence. It is a tremendous anguish, know that one moment will disappear and never return. For that reason, it is very important our inner voice. Imagine that we always said bad things: ´you do not serve for anything ´, this bond money and you are not profitable ´... We would hating the photography at the end. I try to say myself things that encourage... but often I am prisoner of my insecurities and my anxieties to want make the things perfect.

I am moved, there is people as Frank says that do great photos (more photographs I would include). I do not believe that deserves these beautiful words Ruben... When one does what feels and others person appreciate your work... encourages to follow, to continue fighting by the ideal.

Thanks companions for your beutiful words... 🙂

...
 
If I could produce images half as good as those in Benilliams gallery I'd be many times better than my current best. Seeing this inspires me to try harder and maybe think a little more about the surroundings to imagine the position of passing people. I cannot do this on the fly.

I really needed a kick to get out with my camera more, now I have it. 🙂
 
Beniliam said:
.... Imagine that we always said bad things: ´you do not serve for anything ´, this bond money and you are not profitable ´... We would hating the photography at the end. I try to say myself things that encourage... but often I am prisoner of my insecurities and my anxieties to want make the things perfect.
.......

Dear compa Beniliam,

The above quote from you is the Democles sword pointing to your throat, perhaps for life. Among the true artists I personally knew a bit, no one happened to be profitable. They all are guerilla fighters of Art. I ask myself if HCB happened to be profitable, I just don't know, but have my doubts.

Even worse, most of true artist never get even public reckognition. What is a true artist ? The one who continues against all odds, on behalf of his art, on behalf of Art.

I also happened to know a few well known profitable clowns of photography, with an extreme compositional eye but without any true human approach to people beyond their own selves. They play with their talent-for-sale per se, like a kid introducing a finger to his nose. Put them a bit of money stress and they will happily leave photography at all. I can put names on the table here and now, but I will spare the shame.

So you have this Democles sword, and it may go even harder in case you marry and have kids to feed.

But you also have all the talents I have put in writing in my opening posting. I stand behind every single word. And you have something very very unusual which I would like to repeat now. You are extremely close to common people hearts, and common people feel it quite clearly, a quality without which much of your images could never been made.

It is hard, you are right. And it will be harder. But you can count with the enormous treasures you have, and be assured you will be able to match the challenges and difficulties. As it becomes harder and harder, so your images will be even better and better, and your strength against hunger and deprivation will grow as well. (1)Because You have it. Believe in your self. Believe in your capacity to overcome the problems and continue forwards, as you have this capacity as well, your pics being the living proof. Have you really seen them ?

I have seen them and just happened to be a linguistic translator (with much members support this time).

Cheers.
Ruben

(1) Yes folks, do you think there are no artists out there short of money to buy enough film, compelled to highly economize their shots ?
 
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This is timely. I was just ogling Beniliam's galleries for the first time a few days ago.

I've said a number of times that I'm just not into street photography (I know, rangefinder heresy) and that street photos just don't speak to me. But my mind has been changing, and Beniliam's galleries were a major turning point. Yup. Really good stuff.
 
An amazing photographer indeed.

But if you'd know him personally, you would discover that he's an even better person ! 🙂

Somehow that is reflected in his pictures, that's where the magic comes from !

Oscar
 
Actually, I do know him and have been following his work from quite some time going out together sometimes to shoot. Has I pointed out to him a couple of years ago, he sure has a special eye to capture the street. Great photographer, and better person. Im sure glad he is getting all this well deserved praise.
 
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