DOCUMENTING THE ESSENCE
At the age of two, Nino Herman contracted poliomyelitis. When he
realized he would not be able to join the IDF, he began to engage in
photography in the hope that such an occupation would allow him to accompany
his friends in their combat units. For thirty years, the images captured by his
camera appeared in the press, documenting some of the greatest moments and
leaders in Israeli history. These days, he prefers to walk the streets of south
Tel Aviv, and capture life's simpler moments
Ariel Horowitz | Photographs
by Nino Herman / 2018
In November 2016, a fire in the Jerusalem hills area threatened to
turn Nataf to ashes. Nino Herman, who was one of the small town's founders back
in 1981, and has been living there ever since, was evacuated along with his
family, as firefighters grappled with the flames, and eventually saved the
place that 400 inhabitants call home.
Several days later, when he returned, Herman saw a group of press
photographers positioned on some ruins in the woods on the outskirts of Nataf.
They were waiting to catch a glimpse of the advanced firefighting aircraft brought
to Israel from overseas. A former press photographer, Nino found himself as a
bystander in a scene he had been a part of for decades. "It was obvious
that the firefighting jet was brought there for show", he says. "The
fire had already been put out, but the plane had been ordered from overseas,
and a victory round was required. I looked at them up there, those were some of
the best photojournalists in the country, and I knew them all well, thinking to
myself that not too long ago I would have climbed up and stood there right
alongside them. I parked my car and pulled out my camera, going back thirty
years and wishing I were a part of it. When it finally appeared, I took a
picture of both aircraft and photographers. As they climbed down from the ruins
and saw me, they complimented me on the frame, and I felt they were jealous of
the new layer of reality revealed to them. This story demonstrates how, in a
single moment, you can shift from empty to full, and realize that your
disadvantage is perceived by others as an advantage".
I wanted to photograph Dayan
He is 66 years old and has been a photographer since 20. A press
photojournalist for Maariv and the Government Press Office, he has accompanied
prime ministers, and documented historic moments. However, over the last ten
years, Nino (Chananya) Herman has decided to explore a different path,
abandoning photojournalism and becoming a photo-artist. The camera that once
captured Menachem Begin and Anwar Sdadat signing the Israeli-Egyptian peace
treaty now documents everyday people on the streets of south Tel Aviv in
simple, intimate moments. Two of his photographs are currently on display in a
new exhibition at the Israel Museum entitled Beineinu [Between Us]
(curator: Shir Meler Yamaguchi), focusing on interpersonal encounters,
proximity and distance, eye contact and facial expressions – the kind of themes
that interest Herman, the sort of news he wants to spread.
Photography began as no more than a means to an end. Born in Tel
Aviv in 1953 and raised in Ramat Gan, Nino contracted poliomyelitis at the age
of two. When he discovered he would not be able to join the IDF, he decided, since
his neighbor was printing photographs, to take up photography. He began to work
as Ephraim Kidron's apprentice, hoping that being a photographer would allow
him to accompany his friends in their combat units, and gain the military
experience for which he longed.
"I traveled across Israel for a year, taking pictures of
current events, but the kind that did not belong on front pages, but inner
ones", he says. "We had the morning papers back then – Davar, Al
Hamishmar, Hungarian Uj Kelet, Maariv, Yedioth Aharonoth,
and Haaretz, and photographers would go from one pressroom to another,
offering the photographs they had taken to the highest bidder, like a
marketplace: 'I have a Golda', 'I have a Moshe Dayan' – whereas I would come
with an image of tobacco leaves being dried in the Galilee.
"I did not have a press card, so I could not go into
government meetings and take pictures of Dayan, although doing so was my
strongest desire, so I took pictures of other ordinary, mundane things. At
first no editor was interested, but within a few months, the situation changed,
and my images were printed on the inner pages. After one year, I received a
press card, and took pictures of my friends parachuting, and that's how I ended
up in Maariv".
Begin was a theater man
Herman was a photojournalist for Maariv, in charge of
Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria. In some areas, he was the only one covering
events. "I kept trying to look for original things, angles that had yet to
be used. For instance, at that time, ministers were photographed going in and
out of government meetings, and so I did the same, but I grew tired of it after
a while, and wanted to invent something new. So I drove over to the Knesset
helipad, and if the meeting was on matters of defense, I would wait for the
helicopter that brought the Chief of General Staff, and photograph him getting
off the chopper with his secretary and assistant, as they carried the maps. I
had this curiosity to bring additional stuff, I wasn’t satisfied with the familiar
and obvious".
And there were tough situations too,
naturally, that you came across as a photojournalist in Jerusalem, Judea &
Samaria.
"Yes. I took pictures in some of
these events, and always kept my distance. I have always felt that I have a
kind of quality that protects those I photograph. When people meet
photographers they identify something energetic, and give of themselves knowing
that the person who approached them knows what they are doing and means them no
harm. The same quality was true for when I took pictures of disasters. I have a
sensitivity, a love of man, and have no desire to capture a person in an
unpleasant situation, or humiliate them in public".
From Maariv Herman moved on to the Government Press Office (GPO): on a flight to
Cairo he began to document a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, and went on from there to accompany
Begin throughout his term in office, followed by Shimon Peres. "Working
alongside Begin was fascinating, but he was pretty detached from the whole media
issue", says Herman. "Although he himself was somewhat of an actor,
he took no interest in the camera – he was more of a theater man. We had no
personal relationship. With Peres, on the other hand, something opened, and we
had a good relationship, that continued into his tern as Minister of Foreign
Affairs. As a rule, even when photographing prime ministers, I always looked
for the human angle: the connection between Peres and his wife, or children. I
traveled with Peres a great deal. Once a week we would travel across the
country, and Peres would come out of his car to speak to the workers, children
and elderly. Even though it may have been part of his act, Peres also had the
joy of touching people in him, and I was constantly looking for those things.
Obviously every person wipes a tear off their cheek every once in a while, but
that was not what I was looking for – I wanted to show the person, their
conduct, their encounters, not necessarily their moments of tears or joy. That
was what was important to me.
"When I look at leading press
photographers in Israel today, their images are often guided by drama and
darkness. Women for Peace recently held a protest outside the Prime Minister's
house, and when my wife returned, she said it was uplifting. I later saw a
picture taken at the demonstration by one of Israel's top photojournalists, and
it was the image of gloominess and pessimism. I realize that these days
photographers tend to photograph themselves rather than reality, but there are
times when a line is crossed. Upon seeing my images, people often tell me: 'I
can’t see you, you have no presence in your pictures', and that is something
that I try to do – to give a simple touch to reality, not necessarily place an
emphasis on my own perspective".
It is interesting that you never studied
photography properly.
"Right. Yet some would argue that
what I and other photographers do is not really photography at all, because
anyone can hold a camera and take pictures of people on the street, or document
prime ministers. And it's true, anyone can take pictures, but what makes a
photographer a photographer, is the continuity, the uniqueness, the quality
line identified with them.
"As for studies, for many years I
was jealous of those who studied photography, but on the other hand, I
sometimes feel that photography school graduates fall into certain templates,
and many of their images seem similar, thereby losing their own personal
element. Today I can tell you that I am glad I have a free spirit about me, and
that I'm not caught in a gestalt. Beginner photographers are often asked: 'What
do you photograph? What is your theme? Bottles? Ok, go take pictures of
bottles, and then come back and show us what you've got'. But that's just one
way of looking at photography, not the only way. I don’t feel like I can be
branded in any specific category, like I am a certain style of photographer,
and there's no drawer into which I can be placed to say: 'That's the
deal'".
Everything here depends on faith
The transition from press to art
photography was gradual, and prompted in part by the death of Herman's son,
Yair, in a car accident on the road leading to Nataf in 2000. "As if to
make sure we won't forget Yair on the deepest level. I don’t know whether too
many bereaved parents would dare to say this, but in your daily life, sometimes
you find that you are not connected to your personal grief, or necessarily
remember your dead son or daughter. The road to Nataf reminds me of Yair, and I
believe it’s no coincidence that he was killed there of all places.
"I am not a religious person, but I
am a great believer, and I think nothing happens by chance, and everything has
a role to play in our existence. It's part of my nature. I always have this
yearning to hear inner resonance. Photographers hunt for moments, and I feel
that I am hunting for moments while constantly being aware of the fact that
there is something beyond them. Life is the tip of the iceberg, and as a
photographer, I take snapshots of the tip of that iceberg, but I also know that
there is something beyond it".
For nine years, following Yair's death,
he hardly pulled his camera out. In 2009, he went back to taking pictures, this
time finding himself walking the streets of south Tel Aviv. Since then, he has
become a photo-artist with a blog called Domains of the Heart. In addition to
the photographs he has on display at the Israel Museum, two exhibitions of his
have recently opened: Bamakom [In the Place] – a traveling exhibition currently in the United States
featuring 48 images from Israeli daily life; and an artist's wall in a shared
Tel Aviv gallery in which he is a member, called Makom Leomanut or Artspace Tel Aviv.
"In 2009 I felt true thirst for
photography, and when I arrived in Tel Aviv, something changed inside me.
Distance was replaced by proximity, intimacy. I sought dialogue with people,
met people, introduced myself and said I would be happy to take their picture.
That was how worlds opened, connections were made, and all this contact with
young people in Tel Aviv, the ability to create, and photograph, and write,
filled me with joy. Yair's death prompted me to open my heart to something
that, although was out there before then, was hidden deep inside: love, respect
for mankind, attention to places in which I am not respectful."
"If, for instance, as a
photojournalist, I would take people's picture even without their knowledge in
all sorts of situations, these days, a key part of my experience as a
photographer is the encounter, the conversation with the person being
photographed, asking for permission, making contact. I want to create the
connection and obtain consent. The photographs I take are of people I know,
that I have come to know through photography, on this journey through Levinsky
and Florentine. I have obtained their consent, and gained their trust".
Take me with you on such a photographic
journey. What happens there?
"I drive around south Tel Aviv,
reach Levinsky, and sit in a small café. I see that there's good lighting and a
nice atmosphere, and at one table I see a nice couple. I give them my business
card, and ask whether I can take their picture. In most cases the answer is:
'Go for it'. After this short negotiation I sit down and eat, and see them
start talking amongst themselves, having forgotten all about me. Now most press
photographers would say: 'You've missed the crucial moment', and it's true – I
often do. When you see an interesting situation on the street and snap a shot
right away, then you've caught the crucial moment. But I prefer to let it pass,
in a kind of deep ability to let go. It's not always easy, but I do this
exercise with myself – trusting that another crucial moment is about to follow,
that the next one is sure to arrive".
It requires tremendous faith.
"Tremendous faith, yes. Everything
here depends on faith".
Encouraging people to observe
And what brings you to photograph a
couple you see?
"I feel this intimacy between them,
not necessarily in the frame eventually perpetuated, but in everything this
couple represents. Behind all that is visible, there is a hidden world, and I
guess I discover something inside me that was hidden too. I take pictures of
the visible, the couple, and the image also contains that hidden aspect. Those
looking at the photograph get this hidden aspect back, even if they cannot put
it into words, and it's very powerful.
"If I come from a place of love,
and that is where my photography comes from, those who look at the photograph
get it even if they don’t understand it, or conceptualize it. Something inside
them meets a sort of depth there, in the image, and they can connect to the
emotion that drove me to take that picture. Those are the kind of seeds I wish
to plant in reality – how this story is told, about proximity and intimacy, to
people who wake up in the morning to a tough reality, who lose their confidence
and faith in the beyond. Such an image reminds them, if only for a second, that
there was a beat in that moment captured by the camera, that there is nothing
greater than the everyday; if only we learn to live it with dignity, reality
will change.
"There's a side of me that says
it's no more than a drop in the ocean – people see an image, and immediately
return to their hardships, and forget all about it. But something inside me
knows that if you aim for and desire it, the object of your desire will wait
there for you. If we were truly honest with ourselves, we would realize that we
were here to learn from one another, not just compete with each other, and be
jealous of one another."
Is that what you are trying to convey
through your images?
"First and foremost I would like to
encourage people to observe. Here is an untainted, non-staged moment, a genuine
display of connection between people, that the photographer witnesses without
intervening, while those present allow the photographer to observe them with
tremendous trust. It brings back a fundamental layer of trust into our reality.
With all the commercials and Photoshop tampering, contrary to our need to look
beautiful like supermodels, here is a street image that takes you somewhere
else entirely. I liken it to poetry reading. An ordinary text passes you by, but
when you read a poem, something happens inside you. In that respect, I see
myself as a photo-poet. I take a picture, and my pictures are a form of poetry,
a touch of the beyond".
You described how you connect with
people through photography. Some would describe photography as the barrier
between them and others, as something that stands between them and the
experience.
"I suppose that's true too. But I
have come to realize that it is a bit like being in a lecture – if I don’t
write things and put them into a visual form, I forget them. While being in the
lecture, I am also documenting it. The same is true for photography. Perhaps by
taking pictures I am in fact summarizing the experience for myself. Yet I have
no doubt that in order to be present, on the deepest level, I must get rid of
the camera. But the camera is extremely helpful to me, as a person who
constantly absorbs things. It helps me capture something precise, and I also
feel that I don’t always need the entire story – in order to experience something,
its essence is enough for me, and photographs are the essence".
:wikipedia
: NEW SITE
Works as an independent press photographer alongside artistic photography that documents people and nature. Herman: " My art deals with people: their existential situation, the conditions of their life, their feelings, and their relationships."
America -Isreal Cultural Foundation
https://www.aicf.org/artists/visual-arts/Nino Herman, Café Albi ISRAEL
http://www.loeildelaphotographie.com/en/2016/12/31/article/159931145/nino-herman-cafe-albi/MOVEMENT BY 44 DEGREES ONLINE ART MAGAZINE
https://issuu.com/44degrees/docs/44degrees-2017-movement/12
More About Me
I have been practicing photography my whole life. As a photographer for the Government Press Agency, I accompanied state leaders and documented their public lives as well as their privet ones. For the daily newspaper “Maariv”, I covered a wide range of themes within the Israeli day to day life.
In the early 80’s my wife and I were amongst the founding families of Nataf, a small village in the Judean Hills, west of Jerusalem. In those days construction was done slowly, but with a lot of persistence and enthusiasm by the evolving community. A tragedy struck the family when my son Yair was killed in 2000. His death made me question what others might have taken for granted. After the incident I did not photograph for over 10 years. I sought tranquility, and perhaps a reason to move on.
In the past few years I’ve been documenting the local community of Florentine, Tel Aviv. I find inspiration and charm in the simplest things in life. Photography embodies more than the final image. It is a platform to create, connect and develop a relationship of trust. The creative process is an influential tool which enables me to express a feeling, deliver an idea and reach all sorts of people. During the photographic process I ask for the subject’s trust. The precious time of loss of self consciousness is what I’m always thriving to capture. Only then the observer is able to share and fully experience these magical moments.
My photography blog, “Nino Herman: Spaces within the Heart”, allows me to maintain a constant dialogue with the world. It is an on-going exhibition which engages directly with the public, and promotes a dialogue to be developed. The blog constantly makes me realize that there is no day but today.
http://eretz.com/wordpress/blog/2016/01/28/focus-on-the-heart/
44Degrees - Israeli Artist Magazine (Issue - Portraits)
The online art magazine presents, an impressive body of work of contemporary art in various fields and dedicated to promoting Israeli artists.
44 Degrees - Israeli Artinst Magazine (Issue - Feminis
http://issuu.com/44degrees/docs/44degrees5-2014
the new issue - BLACK & WHITE of the online art magazine 44 DEGREES and it free to view.
The online art magazine 44 DEGREES presents, an impressive body of work of contemporary art in various fields and dedicated to promoting Israeli artists. The magazine presents works from a variety of techniques to sculpture, glass, painting, photography, printmaking, digital painting, etc.
You can make direct contact with the artist by clicking on his e-mail address.