February 08, 2012

Photo of the Week: Feb. 2, 2012

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Nearly two-thirds of Israel is desert: rocky, barren, and devoid of water. So whenever I find a new and unexplored water site, I am like a kid in the candy store. I discovered the Dishon Stream quite by chance while driving in the Northern Galilee region en route to Tzfat. I am an advocate of taking at least a short walk outdoors every day, so it was a simple decision to divert my trip to explore this hidden watershed.

I remember this spot because I sat on a rock cooling my feet and enjoying a midmorning snack. Dried fruit and nuts fueled both body and mind as I paused to listen to the rush of water over rock and contemplate the setting before setting up to shoot. Whenever I want to slow down water and reveal its movement, I push my camera to its extremes: smallest aperture, lowest ISO and a leisurely shutter speed as well. This objective was complicated by the amount of light hitting the scene with the sun high in the sky. Even on the smallest light settings, I was limited to a 1/10 second exposure, just barely enough to give the water the milky textures seen in this photo.

TECHNICAL DATA: Nikon D-300 on a tripod, manual exposure, spot mode, f22 at 1/10 sec., ISO 100. Decreased exposure by one stop to prevent overexposing the white areas in the water. Lens: Nikon wide angle zoom, 12-24 mm, at 13mm. Date: 3/16/09, 10:32 a.m. Location: Dishon Stream Trail, northern Israel.

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