Photo of the Week: Aug. 29, 2013

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Hot, dry, dusty summer days in Israel are an extreme challenge for landscape and nature photographers. Let’s face it, the land just isn’t at her finest following several months without a drop of rain. So when the grand landscape is not on display, I shorten my vision and look for the artful play of nature that can almost always be found right at one’s feet.

I am continually surprised by how much color one can find out in the wilds of Israel during summer, but you have to take notice with a practiced look. That means focusing your mind on observing and beginning to see past what you expect to see. Confused? You are, literally. Our mind often fools our eyes into missing what is right in front of us because we are visually programmed to see what we have already seen. So it takes a deeper awareness to reprogram one’s vision and see anew. It’s a mere matter of paying closer attention.

This photograph is an excellent example of that process. I found this single grass weed growing amongst hundreds of others, all glittering in the afternoon sunlight. As always, I began by following the light to an interesting form. Though it has fulfilled its purpose, having launched its seed, it still maintains a grace of form evident in the delicate curve of the stem and the gentle criss-crossing points at the bottom of the image. I used a macro lens to draw in close and blur the background into a warm palette of complementary earth tones. It may be nearly done growing, but it is far from being done giving.

Feel free to share this email with all the photography buffs in your life.

TECHNICAL DATA: Camera: Nikon D300, handheld, manual exposure, center-weighted metering mode, f9 at 1/800th sec., ISO 400. Raw file converted to Jpeg. Lens: Nikon 28-105 macro zoom at 105 mm. Date: July 31, 2010, 4: 24 p.m. Location: Judean Mountains near Tzur Hadassah.

Photo of the Week: Aug. 21, 2013

 

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: OK, so you’d be hard pressed to find a flowering tulip this week in Israel. But that’s only half the story. While setting up for an event Sunday night, one of these variably-verdant, curly-tailed critters stutter-stepped over my light bag and disappeared into a leaf pile.

To the chagrin of photographers, chameleons really do change color, making them hard to spot and harder to photograph when they blend in with their surroundings. Contrary to popular belief, chameleons do not change color as a defense mechanism, but rather in response to light, temperature and their emotions. Based on the green skin color of this chameleon, the outdoor temperature was likely a pleasant 25°C, excellent flower climbing weather. After giving the petals a healthy glance, he turned around (requiring an arduous 10 minutes), dismounted and went on his way.

As luck would have it, and luck often does help a photo get a lot better, the chameleon showed no fear and let me get very close with my camera. Purple and green are nearly opposites along the color spectrum, which means they contrast nicely and pair well together. In other words, our eyes find comfort in seeing them in tandem. I cannot help but laugh a little when I see this photo, partly because I find the creature’s features and pose to be amusing, but also from the joy of this brief yet colorful encounter. Just glad I wasn’t visited by a scorpion.

Feel free to share this email with all the photography buffs in your life.

TECHNICAL DATA: Camera: Nikon D700, handheld, manual exposure, center-weighted metering mode, f8 at 1/200th sec., ISO 200. Raw file converted to Jpeg. Lens: Nikon 28-105 zoom at 50 mm. Date: April 21, 2011, 11:48 a.m. Location: Efrat, Gush Etzion.

Photo of the Week: Aug. 14, 2013

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Sometimes you have to get your feet wet. That’s okay, of course, as long as you remove your shoes and don’t slip on a rock or drop your camera into the salty sea foam. If you can brave the ankle-deep, more likely than not you’ll discover a vantage point other photographers will overlook, giving you an edge in capturing that unique shot.

This photo was taken last month at the public beach in Ashkelon, where a jetty was built to quiet the tidal action. But the rocks create their own crashing drama about 50 meters offshore, and if you stand patiently on the wet sand, you are rewarded with some authoritative splashes. The difficulty in this shot was not being able to see to the other side of the breakwater. I had no way of knowing when a wave was about to impact and whether or not it was even worth waiting for, focus engaged, arms raised (and beginning to ache after four minutes in the same posture), and shutter speed jacked to capture the water in crisp sharpness. It's also impossible to time the peak action, so I fired up my motor drive and burned up 5 frames per wave. I also had some help from the sun, which was doing its predictable late afternoon cloud dance, adding to the spectacle in both the sky and on the water.

Pack a little patience in your beach bag this summer and reap the reward.

Feel free to share this email with all the photography buffs in your life.

TECHNICAL DATA: Camera: Nikon D300, handheld, manual exposure, center-weighted metering mode, f9 at 1/1250th sec., ISO 400. Raw file converted to Jpeg. Lens: Nikon 28-105 zoom at 78 mm. Date: July 24, 2013, 7:07 p.m. Location: Mediterraean Sea at Ashkelon.