In 1957, I began my first photographic essay using a style called ‘street photography’ or ‘social documentary photography’.  In 1957 when I was 15 and underage for entering poolrooms in Baltimore, an older boy took me to Belvedere  Billiards, known at Benny’s.  I learned to play 8-ball, but soon became more interested in expressing and communicating the atmosphere of the place using photography as my medium.  I used a small, quiet Leica camera, exposing the film with available light.  The object was to become invisible in order to get close to the game without interfering with it.  No one appeared to pay any attention to me.  I could get right into card games, pool games, etc. and no one asked about my activities.  This essay was never printed until the 1990s.  I went back to collect oral histories from people who had been coming to the poolroom in that era.  Of the four images here, I’ve recorded oral histories from all by two of the people. 

1a - Pete Leavy playing cards - Pete would be called in to handle visiting hustlers.  He became a professional gambler and still hangs out in Atlantic City casinos as a mobile pawn broker.