Tel Aviv, 2005, on Dizengoff Street Possibly 2005 - 2014

This black and white photograph was captured by Leo Rubinfien in 2005 on Dizengoff Street. Look at this woman’s expression, caught for a millisecond on film, her face etched with character! I imagine Rubinfien walking down the street, his eye searching for a moment of authenticity, something real amongst the bustle of city life. What was she thinking at that moment? Was she about to smile, or about to scowl? The composition is so immediate, like a snapshot grabbed from life. The composition feels deliberately off-kilter, the foreground cropped, forcing our gaze onto her face. It makes you think about all the unseen stories, all the emotions swirling beneath the surface of everyday life. Rubinfien’s work reminds me of other street photographers who captured the poetry of ordinary moments. Artists are always seeking to reveal the hidden layers of human experience, exchanging ideas about light and shadow, presence and absence.