Interact

Years ago, I wrote these words:

Loneliness belongs to the Photographers.
I don't think I'm essentially a street photographer. I guess Photography is just the way for me to express how I see things. It has something to do with a philosophical approach to reality. I have always had this way of observing reality, dwelling on details, on scenes that tell me something.
Early on in my life, I felt inspired by what was around me. Eventually, I got into street photography. It was a slow process. And this happened in a city that was not my hometown, where my view got released from all the parameters and preconceptions that you naturally develop in known places. What I perceived in that new urban landscape and became the ghost I kept freezing everywhere and in everyone’s face with my shots was an intense feeling of loneliness. As a photographer, I am already used to entering the world of loneliness because I must be able to become invisible. So I found myself breathing in my own loneliness and the solitude of those around me.
It is the distance between the photographer and the rest of the people that allows the photographer to notice what is overlooked and under-loved. I found this particular statement that confirms my thoughts: "...if love belongs to the poet, and fear to the novelist, then loneliness belongs to the photographer. To be a photographer is to willingly enter the world of the lonely because it is an artistic exercise in invisibility." - Hanya Yanagihara, Loneliness Belongs to the Photographer, The New Yorker.

The photographer feels and conveys humanity's loneliness.
This society is turning us into monads... and Street photographers are those who daily tell us about the loneliness of mankind through their shots. And that’s why words are superfluous in this realm. Only by looking at photographs we can understand this.

Yes, this reflects my photographic mood. Even when I observe people interacting, I often emphasise the loneliness that lingers in the air.

Anyway, I believe that capturing human relationships through photography is a perfect way to portray reality, much as naturalistic painting does. We don’t always need to seek out surprise or beauty; sometimes, a well-composed scene with the proper control of light is sufficient, resulting in a small masterpiece that reflects the life we live—a reality that is becoming increasingly rare in this virtual world.

The images collected from the Facebook group illustrate this point. While there are thousands more, I focused on a brief timeframe.

In my opinion, everyone should share only one image per week—their best—in various groups, while keeping the rest as a personal archive for project development or to track progress.

However, I feel like I belong to a past era when time still held meaning.

Peace and love.

Sam Benari: Loneliness lingers during interactions

‘Interacting in photography’ can refer to the dynamic relationship between the subject and the camera or photographer, or how the elements within a scene relate to each other. Recognising these connections can enrich your overall composition and storytelling, making your photographs even more impactful. By understanding this dynamic, you can create images that resonate on a deeper level.