My freedom is your freedom

“Love thy children”

I was never comfortable watching pride parades on TV. They looked a tad too provocative, I did not understand why should sexuality be flaunted this way? Lately, I had a chance to talk to a couple of people about it and realized that what I see on TV does not necessarily represents what actually takes place, rather a filtered version of it. As someone who photographs for a few years now, I should have figured this earlier …anyway, when hearing there is a pride parade in Netanya, my childhood city I realized this is a good opportunity to experience the actual thing, not the TV version. I am glad I went, the event did not feel even a bit like the ones on TV …

To start with , it was small, maybe a couple of hundred people, mostly youth ( school age), a few families as well. Heavily guarded by the police as Netanya is a pretty conservative city, this is only the 2nd time this parade is organized here. Needless to say, no financial support from the city, all done by volunteers. What truly surprised me was the joyful atmosphere, singing and dancing, an optimism and can do attitude that permeated the crowd. Looking at the little girl who watched the dancing on the stage, sitting safely on her father’s (?) shoulders I could not help wishing that when she grows up, she will be free to be her best self, and fall in love without society passing judgments on her choices.

One of the last speakers was a young gay religious man, who told his story, and his parting words are still ringing in my ears. He said “ As long as there are young men desperate enough to contemplate suicide because of their sexual inclination - the Pride Parade should be held”.

After today, I hope to see the day when these parades are not needed anymore, and may this day come sooner rather than later.

“This is my city too!”

Safe & confident, on her father’s shoulders and on the stage

Happy to be ourselves

“My freedom is your freedom”

Masks & prayers

Praying from the heart

Yom Kippur 2020. The most unusual of days in the most unusual of years. When social distancing is enforced by the law and we close ourselves behind walls to safeguard our health. When masks cover our mouth to keep us and others safe. Given the intolerance towards anyone who dares to think differently - I wonder if we should not wear masks that will make us think and empathize for a minute before we talk.

Yom Kippur 2020, I walk around the neighborhood with the iphone. I want to take the ‘real camera’ but am aware this will look too intrusive. Even the iphone, despite the lack of sound and light when photographing is noticed. A man wrapped in Tallit ( Jewish prayer shawl ) asks me “why do you photograph people praying?”. “Because it is truly beautiful” I answer. He can not see my face as I am wearing a mask, but my tone and the look in my eyes probably convince him, he places his hand on his heart , smiles and says ‘Please forgive me”. It is only then I realize he suspected I take pictures in order to show how the praying people break the social distancing laws. Nothing is further from my mind. I photograph because for the first time in my life I can see the miracle of Yom Kippur. Since it is not advised to congregate and pray indoors, people step outside the synagogue walls and prayers are for all to share, regardless of beliefs. Kids on bicycles and old man praying in one frame. I can’t avoid thinking that praying with the mask on adds a special intent to the prayer. People care about each other. Protect each other. For one day, the polarization, recrimination, hate, fake news and gossip move to the backstage side allowing for a moment of harmony. To me, this is a true miracle.

Praying

Yom Kippur 2020

In the city of lights, beauty and...rats

There is only one Paris

Charming and irresistible,

Filled with history, art, food

…. and a very french sense of humor ( Memoirs of a rat???)

Walking its street, is like stepping into a Dumas books, suddenly touching the house named after Henry the 3rd. Rendered speechless by Sally Mann’s exhibition at Jeux de Paume - which is the reason for being here.

There are many beautiful cities in the world, but only one Paris.

Moon over Paris

J‘aime la vie …. look carefully, notice anything unusual among the guests of this cafe?

Horses :)

Like stepping into a book

Deported. 1943

The one and only - Sally Mann - from her retrospective exhibition at Jeux de Paume

The guillotine, the rat version …

French humor???

I will be back

Writing with light

I have been photographing for two and a half years now. Have a great digital camera, good lenses. Got better at composing an image, at processing it....and yet, I never really understood what photography is. "Writing with light". Using light to turn a blank piece of paper into a printed image. Watching the image appearing on the paper, not line by line as it is spit out by the printer, but slowly taking shape under the yellow darkroom lights. Dodging and burning are no longer done by hitting a key on the computer. They shed their digital guise and return to their origin - manipulating light in order to shape the image. 

Six weeks in the darkroom, four days a week, three hours a day. Does is always work as I want it to? Nope. Can I better control the image digitally? You bet I can. But if you had a pill you could take instead of eating your favorite sushi. Faster, more efficient, same nutritional value, would you go for it?  

The true alchemists do not change lead into gold, they change words. Sometimes, they use light to change it into images. Pure magic.

Light and shadows on Santa Monica promenade

An adventure of the mind

A work of art is above all an adventure of the mind. The mind of the person who created it, the mind of all the people who would look at it. Infuse it with their own meaning. Project on it their feelings, memories and wishes. Translate it into their own language. Allowing the piece of art to touch them, maybe even transform them a tiny little bit. The hope and wish of every artist.

"Misthaven" images continue to appear. This is a good place to be thankful for all the great feedback I am getting on this portfolio who was recently published in Black and White magazine (Excellence award), Still Point Art quarterly (issue 22) and on Lenscratch.

Here are two brand new images for "Misthaven". I hope somewhere out there, there is a heart that will be touched by them. sending them out into the world to find that heart.

Misthaven #25 by Amy Kanka Valadarsky 

Know thyself

If there if one thing I avoid photographing, it is self portraits. Whether it is because of the selfie flood around, the fact that I don't particularly like how I look or simply because it requires a different way of working with the camera, I usually don't turn the camera on myself .

And this worked fine.....until I realized that self portraits are exactly what is needed for a new personal project I started to work on. After ignoring this thought for a couple of weeks, this morning I ran out of excuses. No computer to work on, most of other tasks done, house is empty with the exception of Max the cat.

Camera on tripod, trying to be the most me I can be, in a robe and slippers I started the most unusual photo session I ever did. 

Looking at the images, (at the ones I did not throw away) it is me that I see. Not just recognizing my body, but the gestures, the composition and light of the image. A multidimensional image of me that shows how I look, what I feel, how I express myself. Getting to know myself through the camera

Feet up

The light through the window

Liquid silk

Back to Santa Monica. The joy of jet-leg - waking up at 04:15 in the morning, reading, thinking, watching the light. 

At 6:30 it's still dark, at 07:00 light is on. Now I know when I need to go for some morning shooting. Today, I tell myself, today it's just for fun.

Grabbing the camera, selecting 2 lenses and off to the pier. On the way, I already see the light. it has a luminescent, whipped cream like texture. When i get to the pier, I am almost running. I never shot from the pier towards the east in the morning.

Looking for the exact angle that will let me catch the wave. I have the wrong filters with me, the light is burning the colors. But lying on the stomach on the pier, I see it. I really do. 

Liquid silk. The sea is like a vast undulating shaft of silk, floating in the wind. 

Barely believing my eyes, I click and click and click.....

You can see a lot by just looking. Indeed.

Liquid silk 2

Moonlight, seahorses and a lesson learned

Reflections

Before you read on, take another look at the picture. what do you see?

Look again. 

Do you see the seahorse?

I didn't until someone pointed it to me. And yet it is sooooo obvious. The first thing the eye notices when looking at this picture. The only bright thing in the dark.

So, how come I did not see it? Because I knew I photographed the reflection of the moonlight in the quiet lake. And 'knowing' this is the moonlight, I failed to SEE the seahorse.

To see what is there, not what we think is there. Aaron Siskind was so right saying we must relax our beliefs.

And I think this stands true for more than just the white seahorse.

A long way ahead of me, but the road, ah the road is fascinating.