Finding Truth Through the Lens: A Conversation with Street Photographer Bee Gats
At Photo London, we had the chance to catch up with emerging street photographer Bee Gats whose raw, authentic work has been turning heads in the art world. Having picked up a camera just nine years ago, this self-taught artist has developed a unique approach to documenting life on the streets—one that comes from lived experience rather than observation.
You mentioned this is your first time in London. How does it feel to have your work displayed here at Photo London?
It's incredible, honestly. I've never been to London before—I got in yesterday on a full moon. I've spent most of my life reading books about this place, so seeing it with my own eyes is surreal. When I first saw my work displayed here, I got a little teary-eyed. It's very impressive what Elza and the team have put together.
Tell us about your background. How did you get into photography?
I grew up really rough and picked up a camera nine years ago. I just hit the ground running. I dropped out of school in 10th grade, never took a photography class—I figured it all out on my own. From day one, I was learning to shoot manual, just taking pictures of what catches my eye. I don't really look at other photographers' work for inspiration; I just do my own thing.
What makes your approach unique?
Everything I shoot is one shot. I don't take multiple pictures of anything—it's me in the moment with the camera. It's about a 50/50 split between people I know and strangers I approach. I've never had a fear of talking to anybody, but I'm very respectful because I don't like having my picture taken either. If someone doesn't want their photo taken, I put the camera away immediately.
There's clearly a lot of respect in your work. How does your background inform your photography?
The world I'm photographing—this is the world I come from. I'm not a passenger or spectator; I come from it. Where I'm from, cameras aren't welcome. People don't trust them, people think you might be the police. So if somebody doesn't want their picture taken, I'm real quick to put it away. This is about respect and understanding.
Many of your subjects have their faces obscured. Is that intentional?
Absolutely. A lot of times I'm photographing illegal activity, and I'm not trying to get anybody in trouble with what I do. I do it intentionally to protect people.
What drives you to continue this work?
I lost my mother when I was very young. The thing that keeps me going is knowing that her boy might be good enough, great enough, to be remembered for this work. Through what I do, I'll immortalize her. That's it.
If I could do anything in the world, I'd want to be paid to travel and take pictures everywhere. I don't want money to hoard it—I want money to experience things. My childhood was so rough that I feel like I'm playing with house money now. I just want to see the world, see everything I read about in books.
How do you view the difference between your work and other street photographers?
I think what draws people to my work is that it's like a keyhole into a world most people have no access to. Most people with a camera couldn't walk up to these subjects and ask for a photograph. I can approach someone covered in tattoos pushing a stroller, or someone on the subway, because I understand that world.
There are photographers who shoot from the outside, and it feels like they're taking something—stealing. I use the analogy of a snow globe: you can tell who's outside the snow globe and who's inside when it's getting shaken up. I've seen photographers use telephoto lenses from across the street, making assumptions about what they're capturing, putting their own narrative on it. That's not what I do.
You mentioned not glorifying this lifestyle. Can you elaborate?
I don't glorify this stuff. I don't tell kids that anything bad is good. I understand having to do what you have to do, but there's a glorification of violence and this type of lifestyle that I don't think people actually understand. It becomes like tourist activity for some photographers. I'm making it real, showing the human side.
What's the most important thing you want people to understand about your work?
These should be scary subjects, but I've removed that veneer to show they're really human. Everyone's just trying to figure out how to make ends meet so they can pay their bills. There's a lot of pain in the world, and sometimes I'm too in tune with it—I'm too empathetic to it. But I just capture real life. That's what I hope comes through: the humanity in it all.
Bee Gats is a self-taught photographer whose unflinching lens captures moments of raw humanity, informed by his extraordinary personal journey. His work is characterized by a deliberate immediacy—typically capturing just a single frame of each subject—resulting in images of remarkable intimacy and authenticity.
Born in the American Midwest, Gats' early life was shaped by profound disruption following his mother's murder when he was six years old. Years in institutional care fostered both resilience and a sharp observational perspective. His informal education through books and visual media developed an intuitive understanding of visual framing and composition that would later define his photographic style.
Gats' distinctive visual voice continues to evolve, maintaining its authentic connection to lived experience while gaining recognition in contemporary photography circles.