Photo of the Week: Jan. 6, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: It may not be apparent, but there is one significant limitation of this photograph: it cannot convey to those who were not there when it was captured, the powerful silence and stillness of the setting. Photography already works very hard to translate our three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional canvas. When you remove other sensual elements, the results often fail to evoke what we felt when taking the picture. That's why photography is so difficult, because the best photography transcends the limitations of the media, and somehow, magically, makes us feel and sometimes see things that are not immediately present in the final print.

This week's image comes from the heart of the Judean Mountains, in a high forest between Beit Shemesh and Beit Guvrin. My hiking partner and I set out early on a trail with visibility under 10 meters. As the sun began to warm the hills, the fog thinned out and revealed the forest's form and figure. I like this shot because the trees seem to be dancing, arms outstretched and happily drinking from the wet air. I selected a trio of trees, because the imbalance of thirds, paradoxically, sews the image together. Let your soul and spirit fly, into the mystic.

TECHNICAL DATA: Nikon D-300, 28-105mm zoom at 78mm, f10 at 1/160 sec., ISO 400.