Light, Shadow and Color
Dan Diamant seems like a straight-laced, soft-spoken systems engineer. He is, in fact, a systems engineer. But he also has a completely different side of him that comes out in his fabulous photographs, which have slowly but surely been gaining an audience in a series of local exhibitions.
For this Budapest-born photographer, living in Israel for the last 20 years, photography is a form of self-expression, and an art form that he has been working on since he was 17, combining the worlds of science and art.
Here’s what he writes about his craft in his website:
In 2007, an estimated 80 billion digital pictures were created in the United States alone. Sometimes I wonder if there is a reason in creating any more photographs. But photography, for me, is like life itself, it happens without a reason. I look around me and I just wonder. I see the extraordinary in the ordinary, the special in the common. Photography makes me stop in my everyday rush and take a deep breath. It is a wonderful world, here and now. My photographs are still and silent. They stop the time flowing. They let you enter into another frame of mind. To understand that each of us is extraordinary and special.
Dan’s subjects are nature, landscapes, gardens and everyday scenes. Some of his photographs are produced with the help of a special method resembling the original meaning of photography “drawing by the light.” He uses long exposition time and camera movements to create photographs that appear to be paintings but still represent reality. And I liked what he said here: “My photographs are ready a long time before they are taken, they were created in my imagination. I should only find them [sic] somewhere and to operate my camera at the decisive moment.”
Dan’s current photograph collection, “Light, Shadow and Color” is being exhibited at the Weizmann Center in Tel Aviv, 14 Weizmann Street, March 10-June 10, 2010.
Foto Friday – Creepy Crawlies
Filed under: Environment, Foto Friday, General
Last month, scientists at the University of Haifa announced that they had discovered a new and previously unknown species of spider. I don’t know about you, but I greet news like that with mixed emotions: pride in our local research institutions, curiosity at seeing the bug and — now having seen the photos (like this one by researcher Yael Olek) — a dash of alarm. This thing is a big as a Mack Truck.
The researchers say that this spider’s leg-span can reach up to 14 cm., which makes it the largest spider of its type in the Middle East. The species was discovered in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region. It is a member of the genus Cerbalus and was named Cerbalus aravensis for its native habitat, if you like knowing that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, however, the poor critter’s habitat is endangered by — you guessed it — humans and their boundless capacity to screw things up. According to head of research Dr. Uri Shanas, mining projects in the area will endanger the existence of the spider as well as possibly other unknown animal species living in the sands. Hopefully, efforts will be made to preserve this unique region in the Arava, as well as the lifeforms crawling in, out and round about.
Photographer Marco Jona has a particular fascination for such creepy crawlies. Waiting patiently for the right moment, he manages to get in close and catch almost human-like expressions. A few of his photos are presented here with more on display at his website.
Foto Friday – Tu b’Shvat is here!
Filed under: Foto Friday, General, Holidays, Israeliness, Picture of the Week, Travel
Tu B’Shvat, the New Year for Trees is upon us! The almond trees are in full bloom.
© Barak Sekeles
For those who live in cold climates and can’t get here in time…
© SOBO Dan
…here are some amazing images of pinky-white blossoms against brilliant blue skies.
Photo by Ester Inbar, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Last week was cold and rainy…
Photo by Eli Zahavi, courtesy of Piki Wiki Israel via Wikimedia Commons
…and given this winter’s wacky weather, who knows what next week could bring…
Photo by Ester Inbar, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
…but this weekend we will enjoy ourselves the warm holiday sunshine.
Photo by Dror K, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
I’m a Groundhog’s Day baby, so believe me when I say: only 6 more weeks till spring!
© SOBO Dan
Foto Friday – Jacob Ackerman’s Birds of Prey
Filed under: Art, Environment, Foto Friday, General, Travel
Whether in Israel or abroad, Jacob “Yaki” Ackerman spends days and nights in the heart of nature, lying in wait to capture its magic and power.
Patient and alert, he spends long hours for that perfect split second in which to freeze the action of a body in motion. Perhaps that is why he relates so strongly to birds of prey.
Ackerman’s work will be part of a group art show about Israel’s predatory birds opening next week at the Man and the Living World Museum in Ramat Gan.
This unique museum, situated within the Ramat Gan National Park, features a variety of natural history exhibits as well as a center for educational activity and cultural events.
Ackerman’s extensive portfolio includes images from around the world but his passion is nature photography, and birds in particular. He’s participated in numerous wildlife photography exhibitions and his website contains some magnificent interactive photo albums that should not be missed. Enjoy.
Foto Friday – Oded Dayan – Bird Migration Across the Hula
Filed under: Environment, Foto Friday, Travel
The days are getting shorter and bird migration across the Rift Valley — otherwise known as our little corner of the Middle East — is at its height.
Israel is something of a paradise for birdwatchers, with 500 million birds migrating south from Europe to warmer climates in Asia and Africa each fall. The Israel Ornithology Center, which operates three bird watching centers, has recorded more than 540 different species of birds in Israel at various seasons in the year.
Photographer Oded Dayan, who works with the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – JNF, produced this series of images documenting Lake Agmon, the heart of the re-flooded Hula Valley in Northern Israel.
Agmon is one of the best-known birding centers with a developed tourist infrastructure. According to the Ministry of Tourism, “approximately 35,000 cranes fill the fields and wetlands during the fall migration, with about 25,000 staying for the winter.”
“Visitors can take advantage of the camouflaged bird observation points and choose to tour the area on foot, by bicycle, golf cart, safari wagon or train. This is also a center for bird research and a station for bird ringing.”
More information about Lake Agmon can be found on the KKL-JNF website, or on the Ministry of Tourism website. And of course, ISRAEL21c has reported extensively on the rehabilitation of the now-flourishing Hula Valley.
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