Notes from the Holy Land

Sharing thoughts on contested stories and histories

The Holy Land is what interests me and photography is the medium I use to express my interests

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From street to documentary photography

by Samuel | Jul 23, 2020 | Blog, Impressions, Photography

I like to share some thoughts on my previous primary focus on street photography, as the way I worked with my photography, but later changed my approach to documentary photography.

Jerusalem by Night – A Late Evening Photo Walk

by Samuel | Apr 7, 2021 | Blog, Impressions, The Holy Land

Two Quarters, One Essence?

by Samuel | Sep 22, 2020 | Blog, Impressions, The Holy Land

Some impressions from and thoughts on the interconnection and relation between the Christian and the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

A Short Look at the Old City of Jerusalem

by Samuel | Jul 21, 2020 | Blog, Impressions, The Holy Land

Take a walk with me through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, and get a sense of history and cultures mixed into an eternal and timeless space.

Emptied Streets and Hopes for Normalization

by Samuel | Jul 14, 2020 | Blog, Impressions, The Holy Land

Recently I had a chance to visit the Old City in Jerusalem. I haven't been there in months, everything being closed down, us being locked up at home. We finally found some respite, and I was eager to follow up on a meeting with a local priest, for a talk about a photo...

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Notes on the Mamilla Cemetery – Part 1: Initial Impressions

by Samuel | Sep 21, 2020 |

The first time I passed by the Mamilla Cemetery, it didn't leave any particular impression on me. As far as I remember, I passed by it (and through the corner cutting through to the Mamilla mall) without even considering the tomb stones. Later, during my Zionist...

Notes on the Dome of the Rock – Part 1: Initial Thoughts

by Samuel | Aug 4, 2020 |

The Dome of the Rock has always been present in my mind, at least since I began to be interested in the three Abrahamic religions, beyond seeing Judaism and Islam as two adversaries to my, then, Christian faith. Before that the structure mostly appeared as a curious...

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HaKirya Bridge – Tel Aviv

by Samuel | Aug 6, 2020 | Photo Essay

Enjoy this trip to a wonderful piece of architecture in the center of Tel Aviv.

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Notes from the Holy Land

I finally got a chance to take a trip to Jerusalem during evening. My wife pushed me to do so, I didn't want to leave her with all the mess at home, but most things were done, and the kids were halfway in bed, so she insisted - much appreciated. She understands my weird urges.I arrived at the Old City around half past eight PM. While there were a lot of people at the Damascus gate, it was after shops had begun to close. This left the Old City feeling rather abandoned, shops only partly being opened at the most busy streets. The rest was turned into a confusing maze of small streets, which helped me to easily getting lost, while also making me feel being exposed if I had taken my camera out. This last part was a bit regrettable. I had for a long time looked forward to do a shoot in the Old City by night, and I also wanted to try out my new Nikon Z5, but at the same time I didn't want to be the chump with the camera in hand, as unnoticed as salt in an open wound. And as welcome as such. Instead I just allowed myself to enjoy the mood and vibe of the Muslim quarter a little, even greeting and being greeted by people. In the end I decided that I didn't want to take a trip to the Old City, without at least getting some shots, so I decided to go to the Western Wall and see what I could get out of that. Even there I at first didn't feel like taking out the camera. At least not with the wider lens. I felt it would be too invasive for the people praying there, having them being separated in boxes and me having to enter those boxes, in order to get some shots. So instead I gave a prayer myself and moved out of the praying area. It wasn't all for nothing though, since I had been wise enough to bring my "vintage" Nikkor 200mm telephoto lens, which I had looked forward to test on the new camera. And it performed really well, even better than on my previous Fuji camera. The stabilization of the new camera allowed me to use slow shutter speeds, allowing more light, not having to rely on high ISO values. And the images were sharp and detailed. It seems that this lens will get a new life on my Z5, I'm very satisfied. The evening ended with me leaving the Old City shortly thereafter, considering walking all the way to the Central Bus Station to take the bus home from there, but considering that the time at that point already had moved past 10 PM, I decided against it. Lessons learned from the evening? Going to the Old City by night (or evening) allows you a different experience, but if you want to take photos, then come early enough that you won't feel exposed.And if you have some old camera lenses, then don't get rid of them, they might get new life if you should get a new camera at some point.flic.kr/s/aHsmVg2TS1 ... See MoreSee Less

Jerusalem by Night April 6, 2021

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Notes from the Holy Land

So I've been thinking of doing this for some time. I don't want to share photos on Facebook, but at the same time I do want to share photos. I feel that there are a lot of stories to be told, or shown, but to find the right way to do so for me, has been more challenging than I'd like it to be. If I'd have the time, I would have spent more of it on my blog, but as it is, sitting down and writing is not a luxury I can afford. Hopefully it will change in the future.But then I thought about my Flickr account. It's perfect for creating albums to share, where photos won't be destroyed by bad compression on upload, so I can share my photos as I want. So that's what I'm going to do. You are of course all welcome to follow, as much or little you feel like 🙂 the theme is overall impressions from the "Holy Land". First share is from a walk through the Christian and Muslim quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem.www.flickr.com/gp/142397188@N07/e1H44J ... See MoreSee Less

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