Elad Malka | Artist Declaration

My work focuses on portraiture. The people I photograph are "real people", photographed in their natural environment: at home, at work or on the street. I create a vast documentation of different sections of the Israeli society, such as refugee communities living in Israel, derelicts or the Arab minority, as well as events and key political figures. Other photo subjects are people who are close to me, who surround me in my daily personal life.

My photographic process consists of two main methods: planned documentary and spontaneous street photography. Most of my photographs are the product of a long work process, consisting of learning, research and fieldwork. Sometimes, weeks can pass between the initial decision to photograph and the actual first frame. However, I make sure to carry my camera with me everywhere and at all times, so I'm able to capture images of unexpected situations that the streets surprisingly provide me with.

I am driven by great curiosity and love of mankind, accompanied by an aesthetic awareness. The camera is the devise that allows me to get close to people, to perpetuate them, to preserve all that is ephemeral and ever-changing. Photographic documentation capability is a wonder to me: The mere ability to freeze time, to capture the moment and come back to it - surprises me every time and satisfies my documentary urges. My need for preservation of reality leads to a precise, meticulous attitude regarding the authenticity of the photograph: the photos are not processed by any digital means, and are often photographed in natural light.

In my work I try to tell a visual story: every frame is a unique piece of life, which creates the story of the place, time and the pictured person.