I Shot GIF Portraits Of Bedouins From Sinai

I had the opportunity to encounter Bedouins living in Sinai, Egypt during a 2016 trip there.

These Bedouins are living in the Sinai Peninsula and in the Negev. Bedouins are divided in 12 tribes, or 12 families. In the area I’ve been, there were a lot of Jabarat and Tarabin tribe.

I’ve been living following their lifestyle for a week, again thanks to the guides (Guy Shiloh and Dalia Tsafrir) that know the area from long time. We followed different guides and slept in different spots. We hiked for 3 days in the mountains then went to the coast. The Bedouin culture is one of the warmer you can find.

My main goal with these GIFs was to portray the Bedouin lifestyle as raw and natural as possible. There was no setup / reflector / extra light or any artifice to the portraits. only natural light and my camera.

The Bedouin I’ve met live a very simple life, and learn to survive with almost nothing. Their culture is also very close to nature, learning to use her without harming the ecosystem.

I’m a GIF addict for few years already, following the GIF-Art scene on Tumblr and Ello. I also started an art project called Gif Arte (GifArte.com), which prints limited GIF Art pieces on a HD lenticulars in limited editions.

As a music photographer, I’ve also started doing GIFs for clubs, such as the great Nuits Fauves in Paris. I’m also doing an ongoing project, Loop Faces, with GIF portraits of friends and random people.

I like using GIFs because they transmit more information than a still. We say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I believe a GIFs go further. Moreover, as an electronic music lover, I love loops, they acts as a mantra for me, wherever they are visuals or sounds.

I believe GIFs help to capture the subject in a more interesting way because you always have this subtle moment that tells something about the scenery or the character portrayed. There is in fact a magic about GIFs that you can’t find in stills.

I use Sony a7s camera with manual lenses. I shoot a little video then edit it on Adobe Premiere and Photoshop. The trick is to find the loop.

More info: rubensben.com | Instagram

I Shot GIF Portraits Of Bedouins From Sinai