I believe that nothing happens by chance in life.
The first time I came to the fishing port of Kishon (Haifa Area, Israel), was as an engineer of a company that repaired old structures in the port and built new ones. At that time, I was an amateur photographer and used a camera to document my work as an engineer.
There is an indescribable magic of places like this fishing port. Perhaps this is due to the romance of the sea and the books we read as children. But there was something more in the port of Kishon. I realized this a few years later, when I came to the fishing port again, now as a beginner photographer. The uniqueness of this place lies not in the yachts and fishing ships or antiques, as in other Israeli ports like Jaffa and Akko, but in the people, those people who spend most of their lives at sea rather than on land.
Often I hear the phrase “you don’t have to travel far to see another world". This phrase fits perfectly to the fishing port of Kishon, which is a separate world with its own laws where life flows differently. A small country within a country.
From the moment I stepped onto the pier, I knew that the main subject of the photography would be the fishermen. In the first days, I felt like a stranger, and having a camera made me feel like an uninvited guest. Gaining the trust of the fishermen and port workers is not easy. But time, respect and goodwill do wonders... One day I brought photographs to the port and gave them to the fishermen.... They began to recognize me and even pose for the camera.... Over time, I managed to gain their trust so much that some of them agreed to give an interview, which became the basis for the publication in the famous Israeli magazine "Masa Aher.".
I started filming in the summer of 2003 and filmed for about six months. One day, I arrived at the port at seven in the morning on a rainy, cold day. I met a fisherman whom I photographed and gave him the photograph. He invited me to his ship for a cup of coffee. It was exciting! We didn’t know each other, but the invitation was made as if we met every day at the port and the morning began with a friendly cup of coffee. Everything was very modest inside. There were no unnecessary things. The coffee was heated on a gas stove. While drinking, he tells the story of his life. From his words, it turns out that most fishermen are divorced. He is one of the few who managed to keep his family together and proudly shows me photographs of his wife and children. He served in the navy, later worked as a sailor on large ships and made long voyages. One of his friends came in. I was impressed and surprised by the warmth and care that these sea wolves showed to each other!
Our morning coffee ended and each one of us went about our own business. ... Fishermen are special people!
The last time I arrived at the port was at night. Lonely lanterns illuminated the pier and the ships, which seemed to be huge, majestic animals, among which I felt small and lonely. ... Indeed, these feelings and images confirmed that the fishing port is a different world!
The first time I came to the fishing port of Kishon (Haifa Area, Israel), was as an engineer of a company that repaired old structures in the port and built new ones. At that time, I was an amateur photographer and used a camera to document my work as an engineer.
There is an indescribable magic of places like this fishing port. Perhaps this is due to the romance of the sea and the books we read as children. But there was something more in the port of Kishon. I realized this a few years later, when I came to the fishing port again, now as a beginner photographer. The uniqueness of this place lies not in the yachts and fishing ships or antiques, as in other Israeli ports like Jaffa and Akko, but in the people, those people who spend most of their lives at sea rather than on land.
Often I hear the phrase “you don’t have to travel far to see another world". This phrase fits perfectly to the fishing port of Kishon, which is a separate world with its own laws where life flows differently. A small country within a country.
From the moment I stepped onto the pier, I knew that the main subject of the photography would be the fishermen. In the first days, I felt like a stranger, and having a camera made me feel like an uninvited guest. Gaining the trust of the fishermen and port workers is not easy. But time, respect and goodwill do wonders... One day I brought photographs to the port and gave them to the fishermen.... They began to recognize me and even pose for the camera.... Over time, I managed to gain their trust so much that some of them agreed to give an interview, which became the basis for the publication in the famous Israeli magazine "Masa Aher.".
I started filming in the summer of 2003 and filmed for about six months. One day, I arrived at the port at seven in the morning on a rainy, cold day. I met a fisherman whom I photographed and gave him the photograph. He invited me to his ship for a cup of coffee. It was exciting! We didn’t know each other, but the invitation was made as if we met every day at the port and the morning began with a friendly cup of coffee. Everything was very modest inside. There were no unnecessary things. The coffee was heated on a gas stove. While drinking, he tells the story of his life. From his words, it turns out that most fishermen are divorced. He is one of the few who managed to keep his family together and proudly shows me photographs of his wife and children. He served in the navy, later worked as a sailor on large ships and made long voyages. One of his friends came in. I was impressed and surprised by the warmth and care that these sea wolves showed to each other!
Our morning coffee ended and each one of us went about our own business. ... Fishermen are special people!
The last time I arrived at the port was at night. Lonely lanterns illuminated the pier and the ships, which seemed to be huge, majestic animals, among which I felt small and lonely. ... Indeed, these feelings and images confirmed that the fishing port is a different world!
Senya Alman © סניה אלמן