Noam a trecut şi pe aici

Dar, spre deosebire de alte dăţi, oarecum cu voia lui. Mă rog, pe un blog de femei din România, nu cred că spera să ajungă. O să îl anunţ, însă, că ne-a vizitat şi o să îi las un link. Pentru că asta fac, mai nou, cel care îl cunosc. Îi dau de veste pe unde îl văd, iar el se colecţionează. A fost nevoit să îşi dezvolte acest hobby ciudat după ce a intrat într-un magazin din Soho şi a descoperit că se vând tricouri cu faţa lui.

Mi-a plăcut să scriu povestea lui pentru Realitatea.NET. Aici, ca o notă de subsol, o să redau interviul care a stat în spatele articolului. Este vorba de Noam Galai, un israelian de 26 de ani care trăieşte la New York. Fotografia lui autoportret a făcut înconjurul lumii: de la zidurile din Iran şi reclame politice în Honduras la coperţi de revistă şi cărţi despre droguri. Se pare că faţa lui spune multe oamenilor, fără să vrea.

Şi o întrebare, înainte de interviu: v-aţi căutat pe internet? Care a fost cel mai ciudat loc în care v-aţi găsit?

What was the context in which you took the pictures? What mood were you in? Tell me about the coordinates of that day: what time was it, where did you take them, what were your thoughts?

I got the idea for that shoot many years before actually shooting it. Each time when i was yawning in front of a mirror, it just looked scary/cool… it looked like im screaming. I knew i that i have to take a photo of myself screaming and i knew image like that could work.

I took the pictures on February 17, 2006 afternoon in my NYC apartment. I was just bored, wanted to pass the time somehow and decided to try and create that screaming image i wanted to do for a long time.  The whole photoshoot took less than 3 minutes. I wasnt angry/mad/sad/scared or anything like that – just bored.

Why did you made them, at that point? What was the purpose?

Its an idea i had for a long time and wanted to make it a reality. at that point i didnt have any specific plans for that picture. i just posted it on Flickr for people to see.

Have u ever had the feeling, when you took them, that they will be that special?

I had a good feeling about those photos. When i opened the photos on my computer I knew they’ll be successful – but not THAT successful. I knew it will get attention from people and maybe few will ask to buy a print or ask to use it. Never expected people to tattoo my face on their bodies.

What were the first reactions to the pictures? (Friends, family, the comments on flickr)

My parents were the first people to see those images and im not sure they liked them that day… i think it was weird for them to see their son like that. But i think they got to used to it since then

When i posted it to Flickr i got a lot of comments and messages from random people, all very supportive.

What was the first use of them that you find? What was your reaction?

The first use was found by my co-worker. She came to me one day in the office, and told me she saw someone on the subway wearing a shirt with my face on it. I thought she was wrong, but after 6 months I went to a very cool and known clothing store in Soho (NYC) with my friend, and was shocked to see a t-shirt with my face on it, exactly the same as my co-worker described. So next i did the weirdest thing someone can do – i payed $30 (the price of that t-shirt) and bought something that was stolen from me.

Did anybody ask for your permission to use the pictures?

Yes, I had few requests. For example – National Geographic’s people found my image on Flickr and emailed me to ask for permission to use it for one of their magazines. But the other ones were small requests from random people.

How did you find yourself in all the world? (Argentina, Spain, Mexic, etc)

I used Google Images, Flickr Search, and a tool called TinEye. I just started searching terms like “scream graffiti”, “scream stencil” and other related terms, and started finding a lot of images that have my face on them. Then I started searching in different languages like Spanish and Dutch.

TinEye is a cool search engine for images. You upload a photo, and it will search for websites that have that picture, or similar versions of it. So i found even more photos that way.

Now i mostly get info about new appearances from friends or people who know my story and see it somewhere.

What was your reaction? Did you try to contact the people who used your pictures? How can you control the use of those pictures?

I try to contact most of the people who use it – but not many respond. When i see art (paintings, Graffiti, Stencil etc) of my photo i really like it and try to compliment the artists for his work (and usually ask them to give credit to the original picture/photographer).

I cant control my photos anymore, It spread too much to stop it now..  But i can try and make this a positive thing for me. Not a lot of people can say their face/photo is on walls in Iran, on books in Mexico or on protest signs in Barcelona. So yeah, i maybe lost a lot of business on those few photos, but im trying to get business by using this story and sell my other images.

Now, that everybody knows the story of your pictures, do you have any benefits from them? Financial ones?

I created a store where i sell Screaming merchandise – T-shirts, mugs, iPhone cases and more products with my famous scream photo on them. So if people like my story, or like my screaming photo, they can buy something here and support me: http://screamography.com.

What was the use of the pictures that you most liked? Why? And where did you liked yourself the least?

I really liked the graffiti/stencil art in Iran. Im not allowed to get in to Iran, but at least i know my face made it in. I also really like the protest signs in Spain, and also the graffiti i found there. But i have to say – I heard someone in Maryland made a tattoo of my face on his arm. Still waiting to see a picture of that, but even without it – this might be my favorite face appearance!

I didnt like finding myself on commercial items like books and t-shirts. To know that companies make money using my face, and not giving me anything or at least ask for permission.

What do you think the pictures have, that made them so famous?

I think the way i shot the pictures make it hard to recognize the person in them (me), so people can relate to it more, people can create their own story for that image. Some people thing its about anger, some people see it as sadness and crying. Some people see it as a symbol for freedom and some see it as power. I think the picture makes people feel in so many different ways, and this is mainly why its so successful.

How did these pictures influence you (life, your career as photographer)?

I dont think it changed a lot with my photography career, I still do the same things i did 2 and 3 years ago. Now that the story is out i get more recognition, and my name is out there.. so who knows, i might get job offers because of my story. but i try not to make a big deal about it – its a very cool story, but its not the only thing i do. If you check out my website you can see i do a lot of other types of photography.

Do you have any special projects for your “scream”, now, after it became a  universal symbol? A gallery, maybe?

Yes, Im working on a big art project right now – im trying to get 100 known artists (Painters, illustrators, graffiti artists, animators etc), and let each one of them make their own take on my scream photo. Then i want to make a book (still looking for book printing companies to help), and fund/sell it on Kickstarter. Most of the money will go for the production of the book, but the change will go to charity. This is the plan.. still working on finalizing the details.

I would love to do an exhibition/gallery of my photography, but no one approached me yet.

How does it feel to be so famous, but, at the same time, a face that can cover any subject?  Political issues, cultural symbol, avantgarde movement, commercial trigger?

I dont consider myself as famous – my photo is famous, not me. But the whole thing is pretty cool and overall i enjoy seeing all the different places and uses of my face around the world. I never thought someone will use my face as a cover of a magazine, or as a poster for a concert – so for me its just very interesting to follow that movement.

Again – i dont like when people make money on something i created, but all the rest is very cool to see!

In the end, what did you learn from this experiment?

I learned that you dont have to have expensive equipment to make a great picture. I shot it with a lamp i had in my apartment, and with my old Nikon D70. It took me 3 minutes from start to end – no studio lights, no crazy camera or lens. And still – my photos became iconic around the world. You dont have to be rich to make great photos – you just need to have a good idea…

Also – I learned something i already knew before about how crazy the internet can be. You’ll never know where your photos will end up when you post them online. 99.9% of the time nothing will happen, but you can never know! People should not be afraid of it, but just use it for their advantage.

Fotografia care l-a făcut faimos:

Noam Galai / StolenScream