Mount of Temptation

Unit 23 P2,P3,P4

I took these images at the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by the devil. This place is absolutely iconic for all Christian people and I was very happy to be there. Before going up to the mount I saw a camel and couldn’t resist the temptation to take his photo. I quite like the combination of yawing camel with the Mount of Temptation at the background as this picture has a slight sense as if the animal is shouting in pain which adds some sense of suffering to the whole image.

In this photo you can see the monastery built on the mountain in the distance. I took a few more pictures focusing particularly on the monastery. I edited the images adding contrast to them and reducing brightness slightly.

After that I went up the mountain and took some photos of this holy area on the way, partly from a mini-bus. My favourite photo in these series is this as it shows stubborn life  – a plant growing on a bare rock. To me it has a sense of survival – Jesus survived for 40 days fasting in the desert, which is an impossible task, and this little plant keeps growing which also seems to be an impossible, miraculous thing.

 

Transformation: White Sun of Bethlehem

Unit 23 P2,P3,P4

I took this picture on the way out from the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. I really like the effect from the Sun in it which reminds of a crucified person or of an angel flying up to the sky. Being at the holy land I was looking for the presence of the divine not only in the churches but also in everyday light. After taking this photo I went back to the hotel and tried to photograph the presence of God through the images of the sun. I had an experience nine years ago when I had a psychotic episode and I thought that God was talking to me through the sun. I wanted to reflect this intense experience in my images. Previously I tried to use this experience as my inspiration while creating and installation “I See Angels” while doing Foundation Diploma in Art in Design.

The images above show the sun shining through the streets of Bethlehem. I wanted to show how the divine affects our everyday life. We can see dirty cars, shops, people rushing to do shopping, but the rays of sun remind us of the presence of God.

The last image is the sun above the Nativity Church, the place where Jesus Christ was born. I don’t think that the quality of this image is great, but it is meaningful for me because of the place it was taken.

 

Roads of Palestine

Unit 23 P2,P3,P4

I was travelling a lot along Palestine and Israel in order to visit as many holy places as possible. I have been constantly photographing and here I present a selection of images taken from a bus window and at the stops. The images through the glass window were generally more blueish and I had to adjust the colour in Photoshop afterwards. I also had to put quite high shutter speed, up to 500 as sometimes we were travelling at a ver high speed.

 

Transformation: Life on Stage

Unit 1 P2, P4

I went to photograph the performances of my favourite theatre director at Theatre Royal Haymarket, I love the way people transform on stage, so I thought that these images could be used for the theme of transformation. I was seated quite far away from the stage and I was using Canon 6D and 70-200 lenses and monopod for the stability.