Photo of the Week: April 6, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: The greatest joys of photography are most often in the doing and only rarely in viewing the results. I don't specialize in wildlife photography, but I do understand the thrill of the hunt that drives this genre of photographer. I also know that horses don't qualify as wildlife, but anyone who has spent time with them knows they are among the gentlest and most emotive members of the animal kingdom.

And so I gladly pulled off Route 91 on the Golan Heights to admire a quartet of horses grazing on fresh spring offerings. Animals, like people, can deflate the best candid moments once the photographer gains notice. I approached the group slowly and silently and took a series of shots with a long lens. Sure enough, after a few moments, the horses looked up, broke their symmetry, and wandered over to say hello.

The backlighting worked well and this pair of animals posed without complaint, but the pleasure of those moments spent just watching them enjoy their floral feast filled me with a deeper satisfaction than this photo ever will. Happy birthday to my daughter, Liora, 20 years beautiful today.

Technical Data: Nikon D700, 70-200mm lens at 175mm, f8@ 1/500 sec., ISO 200.