Photo of the Week: July 13, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: When the mercury rises in the Middle East, our thoughts turn to water, a scarce commodity at any time of the year, but especially in summer. Fortunately, the myth of the desert oasis is not fiction at all. Spring-fed streams, like the one pictured here at Hidden Falls in the Ein Gedi Reserve, run cool and clear 12 months a year, rewarding parched hikers with refreshing relief before their return to the dusty trail.

The name is a bit of a misnomer, as on more than one occasion I've been joined at this site by several dozen students. Nevertheless, they generally move on quickly, leaving behind an even deeper quiet created by the absence of their chaos. This shot downplays the falls, which are about five meters in height, but still follows basic rules of composition by using a strong foreground element as a jumping off point to finding the main subject. I chose camera settings that allow for a long exposure to give the water a milk-like color as it makes its way to the Dead Sea. Israel indeed flows with milk and honey. You just have to know how to look.

Technical Data: Nikon D70, 28-105 zoom at 32mm, f16 @ 1.6 sec., ISO 200.

Photo of the Week: July 6, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: The following anecdote has nothing to do with this week's photograph. On the other hand, it may be the only thing that matters. Last Thursday I worked an event in downtown Jerusalem. The evening began with a maddening traffic jam that turned a 10-minute ride into an hour of frustration and I arrived late to a job for the first time in my professional career. I then worked seven hours standing on my feet, packed up my car and headed home. As I pulled onto the tunnel road, which connects Jerusalem's Gilo neighborhood with my home in Gush Etzion, I brought my car to a halt in an endless line of traffic. For the second time that day, at 12:24 a.m., a 10-minute drive became a slow and painful crawl home.

With one lane closed for construction, traffic moved about a quarter of a mile at a time with seven-to-eight minute standstill delays. At 12:52 a.m., now halfway through the second tunnel, the horns started. Miserable drivers, no doubt similarly exhausted, began blaring their horns in disgust. First one, then another until at least a dozen joined the fray. I turned up the music in my car and closed my eyes. When I opened them again a moment later, I spotted a van that had pulled into the service bay of the tunnel. The slider opened and out jumped a man, than another and another until eight men, charedim in black coats and hats, joined hands and danced in a joyful circle to the midnight din. We always have a choice. Life is short. Live every moment.

This week's shot was taken in the desert north of Eilat, on a trail connecting the Black Canyon with Amram's Pillars. Near the end of my hike, I climbed a small rock formation and discovered this window overlooking the section of trail I had just completed, a thrilling conclusion to an afternoon of peace and quiet, no disgruntled drivers, no traffic and no jams.

Technical Data: Nikon D700, 18-200 zoom at 135mm, f16 @ 1/160 sec., ISO 400.

Photo of the Week: June 30, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Israelis love their "garinim," their seeds, and every spring and summer vast swaths of fertile farmland buzz with these monster yellow blooms. Standing a dozen rows deep in this flower forest, I felt as if I had entered a science fiction movie, as some of these giants towered above me at over nine feet tall. That, of course, wreaks havoc for photographers, who often prefer to be eye-level with their subjects. Predicting this predicament, I had planned to bring a ladder, but that thought remained stranded somewhere in a senior moment.

I never cease to be amazed by the creative process. A dead end in one direction leads the mind to re-chart its course. Having scrapped my vision of a high-angle shot of the entire field, I narrowed my search and discovered these flowing petals, brought alive with texture and motion injected by the back lighting. It is the somewhat unusual composition, however, that distinguishes this shot. The subject is familiar to most viewers, so tight cropping draws attention to the petals without the feeling that something is missing. This is a technique I learned from shooting portraits, where a very tight crop on a person's face can deliver great feeling and intimacy without rendering the subject's identity unrecognizable. Finally, the background, although severely blurred, provides context for the setting and a nice color complement to the photo's center of interest.

Technical Data: Nikon D700, 28-105 zoom at 105mm, f5.6 at 1/500 sec., ISO 200.

Photo of the Week: June 22, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: One measure of success of a photograph is how much the viewer desires to be in the place depicted in the image. With the heat of summer upon us, who doesn't long for a lazy day at the beach? Israel is blessed with many miles of beautiful Mediterranean seacoast. This week's photo features the beach at Habonim Nature Reserve, located about halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. I had been camping there with my family which gave me the freedom to explore the area with my camera during the optimal late afternoon sunlight.

Photographing wave action on the ocean's edge is akin to trying to hit a formless and fast-moving target. Waves, like snowflakes, are infinitely variable but it's free and easy to fire off 15-20 shots in quick succession and sift through the results later. The rocks on either side of the photo determine the composition, but the appeal of this image begins with the streak of sunlight cutting across the water and casting a golden glow on the wet sand. The light sets the mood and feeling for the entire scene: warm, refreshing and inviting. Nothing left to do but dive in.

Technical Data: Nikon D200, 12-24 zoom at 12mm, f9 at 1/800 sec., ISO 400.

Photo of the Week: June 16, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: The walls and gates of the old city are quiet. Built to protect those who dwelled within before the modern city arose, these days the ancient stones often serve as artistic complements to a variety of civic celebrations. Beginning June 15 and continuing through June 22, the old city will play host to the Jerusalem Festival of Light, now in its third year. For anyone who already appreciates the old city in its never mundane, day to day look, this is a chance to stroll the historic alleys with an electric accent provided by several world renowned light artists and designers.

This week's photo shows the Damascus Gate in one of its illuminated incarnations from last year's festival. The old city's most intricately designed gate was lit with a 10-minute changing light spectacle that combined colored gel washes and spotlights to highlight the gate's ornate features. The low level of projected light called for the use of a tripod, which I set up atop the stairs directly front and center of the gate, as far back as I could stand. I used my widest lens as well to encompass the full breadth of the majestic structure. As the show progressed, I fired off several shots to capture the different dramatic renderings.

The festival runs from 8 p.m. to midnight and is mostly free (there are some exhibits which require a fee to enter) and well worth a visit.

Technical Data: Nikon D300, 12-24 zoom at 12mm, f8 at 1/3 sec., ISO 400.

Photo of the Week: June 10, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: There are advantages to getting up at 3 a.m. and pointing your car toward the Judean Desert: no traffic in Jerusalem and the temperature is still bearable. The biggest reward for the effort, however, is arriving at sunrise to watch the light show on the rocky hills. It only lasts for about an hour, with the peak colors hanging on for just a few moments. Nature, like photography with human subjects, also has its decisive moments, and being ready to shoot through a small window of time is critical to success in the wilderness.

This shot was taken at the entrance to Mishmar Canyon, on the Dead Sea highway between Ein Gedi and Masada, at 5:40:29 a.m., according to the file's metadata. Arriving in the pre-dawn darkness, I immediately searched the area for something prominent to anchor the composition and settled on this peak, the tallest in the area. The remainder of the image, the lower half, contains the view across the dry riverbed, the outlet for the canyon I was preparing to hike. Somehow, even in mid-September following several months without rain, the sparse vegetation had held on to its green color and seemed to be thriving in the harshest of settings. For the photographer, with plenty of water in my pack, there was nothing left to do once the sun had climbed high but enjoy the hike.

Technical Date: Nikon D70, 28-105 zoom at 38mm, f18 at 1/15th sec., ISO 400.

Photo of the Week: May 19, 2011

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: There are several possible derivations for the name given the sea which separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula at the southern tip of the Negev Desert, but none derive from the color of the water itself. For most of the year, the Red Sea is a vibrant blue-green, with darker and lighter hues appearing where the depth of the water changes. Captivated by the rich turquoise and indigo of the deeper waters, I noticed additional colors along the shoreline which nearly complete the full color spectrum or a rainbow, from red to deep violet.

This shot was taken in the early afternoon, a time of day I normally shun for the high contrast light, but my greatest obstacle here was finding a path to the middle of the sea that steered clear of the sporting activity on the water. Kiteboarders, swimmers, snorkelers, windsurfers and jetskiers all ran amuck along Eilat's southern coast, but with a little patience, I managed to secure a shot devoid of human life. I debated whether or not to include the strip of white surf and shot images where the sea is both placid and foaming. After reviewing the entire shoot, I decided this added feature gave a small burst of life to the photo without distracting from the beautiful progression of color from red to deep blue.

Technical Date: Nikon D700, 28-105 zoom at 46mm, f8 at 1/1000th sec., ISO 400.