silhouetting

silhouetting can be a beautiful effect and hence very desirable, like in the above photo. it is easily achievable in certain light conditions, but in some circumstances, we could choose to avoid it.

two more examples where the effect could give a very beautiful result.

In case we choose to avoid it, and given that our subject is within reach of our flash, we can artificially light it and get a very different result (note to the position of the sun in this photo).

The effect of distance

The effect of distance or depth is obtainable by looking down over the landscape and even cutting the skies out of the composition. it is easily done in hilly landscapes where one can have an elevated point of view, like those found on the Camino de Santiago.

Lionel Messi

Considered one of the best football players in the world today, this man was in a position which enabled him to lead his home country team to win the world cup.
I wouldn't want to be in his shoes on that day. still remembering how a Brazilian player, found in a similar position in the 1998 world cup finals, collapsed from the burden of all this responsibility.
Football Photography.

More of René Burri

In his travels, René visited among other places, Argentina, and took some magnificent photos of its Gauchos

And in the neighboring Brazil, he took this picture 46 years before the world cup took place...
one of my favorites.

Camino De Santiago Photography

A Beautiful example of depth of field of which you'll find lots of out there doing the Camino

And an beautiful example of different compositions of the exact same subject and a touch of cropping..
which one do you like better...?

The ever so picturesque Way of Saint James "Camino de Santiago"

For many pilgrims, photography has become a major part of the camino

Salvia Resident

Our Salvia resident minutes after changing his skin for the first time. he repeated the process once again since and he literally passes his days chewing on fresh leaves. must have been a Koala in some other life..

The photo of our life

In 1963 René Burri met with Che Guevara in order to take some photos of him.

one of the photos René took went down in history as the most famous photo of Che. this is how we all know and remember Che Guevara, in his uniform, sitting at his office in Havana, smoking a cuban cigar.

when we think about famous people, we usually have a certain image of them recorded in our minds, but not only the famous have such a photo. each one of us have such photo that was taken in some stage in his life that becomes dear and special, a favorite. sometimes we wouldn't recognize ourself in it. an unusual angle or the expression on the face, frozen in a manner surprising even to us.

some updates:

a couple of photos i took a couple of years ago, featuring hand forged door handles were published in the last issue of the Hepaistos International Jahr Buch - a publication dedicated to blacksmiths around the world. the photos were both taken at a get together orgnized by a blacksmith here in Israel in order to make a door handle for his daughters new house.

both featured door handles by Amit Har-lev.

The UNESCO Poster

Hi everyone,
Today, i wanted to share with you the poster that was designed to promote an UNESCO conference about Deserts and Desertification that will take place here in Israel next November, featuring a photo of mine that was taken about 35 kms. from home.
These trees in the photo are victims of the five years long drought the country is experiencing as a cause of the global ambiental change that is felt all around the globe. the 2008 rain season summed up to 3 mm. of rain only.
As you all might have noticed, i am very sensitive to the environmental issues and i take pride in being able to do my share for such a cause.
I truely believe that awareness is a key component in controling global warming and that the small actions we can all undertake as individuals, to not only use and abuse our home, but also give something in return, can make a difference.
May conferences such as this one bring us a step forward towards a better tomorrow.
all the best, Guy.

Working from home - a reality !

Hi again !
Today i made my first sale over the Internet. it is a big day for me.
it actually means i am on the way to cracking the secrets for living the life i always wanted for myself. it means i could work from anywhere really. all it takes is an Internet connection.
i could live in Spain, Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland... anywhere !
Just like everybody else, i was sceptic before i started. there are many scams around and it just sounds to good to be true (and possible).
i have been learning the subject for about a month now but i only started a week ago, only one week. it is easy ! it takes some nerves and some thinking, but anyone can do it.
if anyone wants to hear more about it, please feel free to write me to my Email, i would love to share what i've learned. GuySadan@yahoo.com.au

Mile stones of my photography - part 2

Hi everyone,
this time, the photo i chose to share with you has a disturbing graphic content and this is why i've put the grey circle over it.
if you want to see the original, use the following link:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-DD66A2txr9J5pL5WpM3eg?feat=directlink

This photo was taken back in 2006 while taking a horse breeding course. as part of the course we traveled to different establishments over the weekends and discussed different aspects of breeding, treatments etc. on this specific ocasion we visited a military establishment and were going through a session with the base veterinarian. this horse was stepped on accidently by another horse while practicing some jumping excercises. he was wounded by the horse shoe and was brought over to where we were at, for the veterinarian for treatment.
I took several photos and only when i got home and had time to look at them on the big screen, i realized what actually happened there that morning.
It is hard for me to put in words why i like this photo, it is dynamic with the water gushing from the hose, it is disturbing with the blood flowing from an open wound, impacting, the kind of photo that makes you look at it even though transmitting something unpleasent.

See you soon with some more mile stones, no more of this kind, promise !
Guy.

photography and trees

Hi everyone,
just a short post with some updates.
my photos did not get to the podium in the MINISPACE competition this time and i want to thank all of you that took a minute to enter and vote for them.
atmosphere was amazing, artists complimenting one another and some real inspiring work. results should be published soon, so keep an eye, it should be interesting.
also, i was amazed of the exposure my blog got during the competiotion. i suddenly had visits from Egypt, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Germnay just to name a few. overwhelming. over 250 visits yesterday alone !

now that the competition is over, i came across a portfolio that attrected my attention and i want to share it with you. Felix Finkbeiner, 11 years old from Germany is teaching us all a lesson for a better future. read more here: http://www.minispace.com/en_us/article/pow-felix-finkbeiner/274/

and finally, the 2nd. part of the milestones series is coming up soon, so check out on me again soon.
Guy.

Mile stones of my photography - part 1

Hi everyone,
life has been pretty hectic lately. i have been away for the week and busy with a photography competition to which i would like to invite you all. there is some awesome work and you can vote for your favs.
http://www.minispace.com/en_us/background/invite/vote/?user_id=60210&fbsharer=1&zuffi=1252676161
there are 5 days left and the heat is on ! check it out.

now, i want to tell you the story behind this photo i decided to post today.
it goes like this; year is 2005, a provincial Argentinian bus terminal, a complete stranger. light is just right, reflected from the floor, iluminating her from below, background is darker, helping my subject stand out nicely. with the broken Spanish i spoke back then, i ask her permission. she blushes and agrees, none of us has been to such a strange situation before, i can tell by my heart beat. even though nervous, i manage to take some excellent shots of her and later we sit and talk for a while. a few weeks later we meet again and then again and again... then she moves in... we ended up together for nearly four and a half years. true story.
see you soon with the next part of my mile stones,
Guy.

working from home a reality ?

Hi everyone,
my cousin is running a business on ebay for a good while now. he's been trying to get me to learn the secrets and try it myself too until finally, a week ago today, i decided to bite the bullet. It all started with one phone call in which he mentioned a name of a college that teaches Internet income and ever since, i have been trying to figure out which of the endless options to make money from home, is the one for me.
I spend hours researching and reading, jumping from one window to another and i am amazed of how massive this industry is. i learned many important guidelines in this last week, there is actually a lot of work involved on the way to succeed and it takes a lot of patience. many would try and few would make it big. it takes a lot of belief and a lot of studying as the technical side involved can make all the difference. in the bottom line, it is no rocket science and anyone could try.
I decided to make an experiment and document my personal experience trying it, from my point of view. it will includee videos, some tips for those who are curious, some reports on how i'm doing and what iv'e learned and more.
I look forward to be sharing all this and more with you all.

Good luck to us all,

Guy.

From the heart of the Andes

While the bread is in the oven, i would like to tell you about Manora and Kalana Gerber. i had the fortune of taking photos for their web site back in 2007. Manora and Kalana left Germany and came to start a new life in Mendoza, Argentina with the guidence of their espiritual teacher. they left family, good jobs and Euro in order to establish and operate "centro de luz de los Andes" (center of light of the Andes), an espiritual center where people can learn about Feng-Shui, meditate, participate in seminars, take individual healing sessions and more. following the divine destiny given to them and not speaking the language, they had to endure a beaurocratic adventure, doing it all with a wide optimistic smile on their faces. Manora and Kalana became dear friends to me to whom i keep a very special corner in my heart.


The center is located in Mendoza, Argentina's capital of grape and wine. 900 mts. above sea level, at the feet of the Andes, Mendoza is an oasis in the desert caused by the rain shadow. annual rain fall is between 150 - 200 mm. and the city uses water that runs down from the mountains from melting snow and glaciers running in a system of channels that was built and first used by the native Indians centuries ago. the channels bring water to the rest of the province sometimes as far as 300 kms. from the mountain ranges. Mendoza enjoys an avarage of 330 sunny days a year, dry climate, beautiful surroundings, friendly people, cheap, good wines and more.


http://www.centrodeluzdelosandes.com/es/index.htm is their web site in both Spanish and German.


Guy.

Trees for the world

I planted these little trees you can see in the photo and every now and then, i plant some more. there is no way to dig a hole in that desert rocky ground without using machinary so what i do is taking adventage of existing cracks, which result from the extensive tactonic activity which origins from just 3 Kms. away in the great rift valley (can be seen in the far right of the photo). all it takes is loosening the rocks and pulling them out (i bet i could reach the center of the earth if i keep on digging...).

The soil is very poor and salty. every tree is planted in almost 1 cubic meter of imported soil and irrigation is indispensable. due to climate change, even the 25 mm. of annual average of rain we used to get here is now down to about one fifth that.

A tree in this environment has to resist strong winds, extreme heat, grazing by Gazelle and Ibex, and its growing rate is less then half its potential (it could grow more then 50 % faster in favorable conditions.)

What has it all got to do with photography or why am i telling you all that ? well, it's only that i am hoping to be able to sit in the shade of these trees when i'm old to write this blog. it gets pretty hot out in the sun here !

A tree is a green spot in the bleak surroundings and can be spotted from miles, it makes living in this harsh environment more pleasurable.

In the bottom line,we all know that humanity needs trees these days almost as much as it needs water, so get out there and plant some !

Guy.

The UNEP (united nations education programme) is running a campaign for 7 billion (!) trees planted before the end of the year.

see http://www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/about/index.asp

My Blog is under construction

welcome veryone !

my blog is currently being born and constructed. you witness the miracle of me learning about all this stuff there is to know.

i am pretty amazed myself and quite excited.

hope you come back again soon to see a nicely developed baby.

all the best,

Guy.

express yourself

what's an artist without appreciation ?

Mercedes Sosa once said she sings because of her audience and not only for them.

we all need the feedback and criticism.

luckily for us, we now live in an era where thanks to internet we can expose are work further and faster and get to more people. we speak language, we have friends all around the globe and we even have some extra time on our hands.

would Paul Gauguin die sick, poor and exiled if he were to live today ?

even living in a village 80 Kms. from civilization, one can sit, connected to you all and share. almost anything.

i bring you this blog in order to share my passion for photography and as just another way to stay in touch with you all.

Guy.