The Moments that Seized Me

From a young age, still in those days when the experience of looking through the camera lens was separated from the printed result by the film developing process, I very much enjoyed immortalizing experiences through photography. The end-product as well as the fine-tuning which was part of the development phase – I loved the whole process, which brings so much satisfaction and delight.

For many years, I had to push aside my hobby and passion for the sake of a demanding career. Over the past fifteen years, I was able to return to the joy of translating emotions and feelings triggered by visual input to a digital result. At the same time, I immersed myself in the field of education, as part of the Village Way Educational Initiatives – a non-profit endeavor that I have had the privilege to launch and to lead, together with wonderful partners sharing the same path and vision. With this added “educational lens”, I realized that translating experience into digital display instills life with meaning, and occasionally, with a sense of belonging. Without any doubt, it is a process of introspection.

The creation of a photographic image allows one to be liberated from the boundaries of limited personal existence, breaking through to a life of infinite possibilities of multiculturalism, acceptance of those who are different and the meeting and merging of minds. Along with the picture-making process, one begins to discover meaning in each moment of life, mundane as it may seem. I do not consider myself an artist, but do believe that life in itself is an art form.
To me, photography is an attempt to document moments that have seized me; emotions that have been stirred by people, places, landscapes and objects that I have encountered. Frequently, I weave a story around a visual scene, especially when it comes to strangers I have met passing in the street. People whose facial expression and circumstances, as I perceive them, evoke thoughts and musings, and awaken the imagination. Some moments, captured by camera, continue to accompany me for many years. With the changing perspective on life, the feelings they arouse also change – like an open-source book, always open to new interpretations.

Recently, I have been diagnosed with a degenerative disease ALS. I remain as optimistic as ever, and focused on making the adaptations needed to fulfill my dreams from an altered physical state. As part of this process, I have decided to sort through the thousands of pictures that I have taken over the past years and to store and display a selection of them online.

Traditionally, photography is classified into categories such as street or landscape photography, portraiture and so on. I have chosen to use a similar categorization, modified to be more inclusive and flexible. Some may wonder about my habit to present several pictures of the same subject, object or place, taken from various angles or processed differently. Vardit, my beloved partner and most valued and cherished supporter – and critic, does not always accept this repetition, but life has many facets and dimensions, which I am inspired to unveil and expose through the media of visual expression.

I hope you will find interest in the photos.