A new series from Harry Israelson looks at an elderly folks' Beverly Hills lawn bowling club

Harry Israelson might be better known for his filmmaking, but lately he’s been turning more and more attention to photography projects. Next month he’ll be exhibiting a new series of photographs of an elderly Beverly Hills lawn bowling club in a show in Amsterdam. The lightly washed out photographs show LA retirees in their bowls whites and playing the gentle, outdoor sport surrounded by palm trees. “They took me in as a prospective member, taught me how to bowl, and asked me about my old Nikon,” Harry tells me. “I met one man who was 100 years old. He was a former French Hornist in the LA Philharmonic and took great pleasure in telling me all about the countless film scores he played on.”

Formerly one half of directing duo Harrys, he has shot music videos for Toro y Moi and video campaigns for clients including Levis, Proenza Schouler, Barneys NY, and shorts for i-D. These photographs, part one in a series, are the latest in the personal projects Harry is devoting more time to.

“The club was founded in 1929 and at one point boasted 100 members from Hollywood’s golden era: Walt Disney was a regular and a faded picture of Ronald Reagan, donning all white, hangs in the club house,” he explains. “The 30 or so remaining members are mostly over the age of 80, and each Sunday they dress in their whites, split into teams, and compete.”