My friend Matthew has a sense of humor that tends to come out in his photographs, which I think is one of the hardest things to evoke in an image.
He took this pic of me in my apartment in Cairo and sent it to me with the line
“Framing. Never my strong suit…”
-photo by Matthew Carrington
Today I went up north. All the way near the Lebanese border to a little village outside of Nazareth. While Israelis celebrate 60 years of independence, Palestinians and Israeli Arabs mark the occasion where their land was taken. So there have been a few ceremonies and performances around the West Bank and Israel commemorating this day, and I was sent up north for this purpose. Interestingly enough, the performance to me felt like a reverse Thanksgiving pagent. Like as if the Indians were telling their side of the story. It definitely had that feel to it. Anyway, as always I’m obsessed with the women, so that is of course what my favorite pictures were.
Amazing sky tonight. And the women were praying in the spotlights used for the performances, which helped. Really really really like the light on them. For others check out the photos that I sent to the wire cause I had more that a few that I really liked…
Prayer in a line…
Segregated sections…
Doing some extra pics for the 60th anniversary celebration that starts tomorrow. I went to Jaffa today which is this really cool little area outside of Tel Aviv. Lovely flea market and old men sitting out sunning themselves…
I went to the beach to take pics for the 60th anniversary. Got some nice fun silhouettes.
Okay, check out where the sailboat is positioned. I think its funny even if no one else does…
Children playing in the surf. Nothing happier than that…
I don’t think this one perfectly works, but I like the contrasting feet above and below ground level…
I didn’t get any sleep last night cause I volunteered to take pictures of an army exercise that supposedly started at 3:30 in the morning at an army base located about an hour and a half south of Jerusalem. At the time driving down there in the dark I thought I had slightly lost my mind cause I was freaking tired. But the pictures were well worth it even though the exercise didn’t actually start until 6am.
The Israeli army is amazing because they allow you so much more access than anything I have ever experienced before. I drove the woman from the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) that accompanied me on the exercise back up to Jerusalem and when I expressed my amazement over the access that the IDF grants journalists (mostly) she responded that ‘of course we want the rest of the world to see what we are doing. We are proud of our army and we have nothing to hide’. Take from that what you will…
Exercise at dawn…
Looks like a lion in the grass…
Sometimes photographers have to be saved from themselves. I really like this image but I’m not sure anyone else will. Any takers?
I usually have to go to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial, to photograph visiting dignitaries. I don’t usually see much of the other areas. But today we are doing pictures for Israel’s 60th anniversary celebration and so I got to go and take pics in other places in the museum and surrounding area. I know I’ve been there before with my parents in ‘94 but they’ve totally changed it since. From what I remember, and that’s not much, I think the old museum was much better at pulling at your heart-strings. This one seems much more informative than otherwise. I didn’t spend that much time reading or listening, but that was just my first impression on walking through looking for good pictures.
Reflection in a drawing…
A bit out of order, but this is from the Greek Orthodox Good Friday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Pilgrims putting their crosses and other items to be blessed on the Anointing Stone. This might be one of my favorite spots in the whole city to take pictures. When the light comes through the doors and spills onto the faces of the people there, it is just really peaceful and nice. Never mind that there is a lot of pushing and shoving (cause there is, especially on Good Friday), but when you get right down in there it all seems to slow down around you and some really wonderful pictures appear…
I had to go to Beersheba today for an unveiling of a statue. A lot of people think that this job is so romantic but sometimes it is just as dull as photographing the unveiling of a statue cause Australian clients want this stuff. So I went. An hour and a half each way.
Today was also a day where a woman and her four children were killed in an IDF mission in Gaza. It was a bad day, to put it mildly. And in the midst of that I had one picture today that I really liked, but it didn’t get moved onto the wire cause of all the craziness coming in from Gaza. And how can I complain? I totally understand when this happens, but it does drive me a bit nuts sometimes.
Cause one part of you is totally understanding of the fact that people dying take precedent (of course) in the pictures that go out and that others get lost in the stampede. But the other half of you wants that one picture that makes today worth it for 3 hours travel to go out on the wire, and of course it doesn’t and you feel bad asking the desk again and again if it has. So here is the pic that I liked today that didn’t get out. Ah well, next time…
Kids at play…
An experience not to be missed in Israel, for sure. If only for the sheer amount of energy it takes to get to see this event. Holy fire is a ritual done by the Orthodox, the Assyrians, the Copts and the Ethiopians the day before their Easter. I will post Good Friday shots as well, but I left them at the office so it’ll be a bit out of order cause these will go up first.
It is not an easy feat to get into the church on this day. First thing in the morning I had to fight my way past Russian pilgrims already lined up shoulder to shoulder in the alleys of the old city. That was fun cause they definitely didn’t care that I had a police pass and should be let through. I did finally get through but not before the police almost turned me away without even looking at my credentials. Then, I get to the church only to be pushed back by Armenian priests who tell me I can’t come in this section because I’m not Armenian. Fine. Wait till another photographer tries to get in and slip in with him. Then, once I’m in the church apparently there is no place that I’m allowed to be. All places are reserved by the Armenians or the Greeks and you can’t go into their little boxes unless you’re one of them. Fine. Find another photographer trying to get into a box and while the police are throwing him out of the church I plead with them that I am going into one of the Armenian boxes. The police agree, but only if I get permission from the Armenians. So I turn to a random priest who is there and ask him to give me permission. He says he’s from out of town and isn’t the priest to ask. I plead with him — all I need is permission from ‘a’ priest and the police will let me go over the barrier, so he just has to nod and say ok. He shrugs and I’m in! Over the barrier and into the box where Armenian TV people give me scouring looks and try to have me thrown out at which point the Armenian Patriarch is brought over and instead of throwing me out tells me that I can stay. It is now 10am. The service started at 2pm. Totally worth it. Amazing pictures.
Holy Fire being brought out to the crowds by a priest…
Seeing the light…
