Holy Exposures Commentary and Photos of Israel

Israel is a country with little natural resources coupled with expensive sea-based transportation of imported goods. What can be done to keep the cost of energy and products down? In short - recycling and use of renewable energy.

Cleaning Solar Panels

With the hot and sunny climate, Israel is the ideal location for widespread use of solar energy. Nearly all homes today are installed with solar panels for heating household water. Soon, the Israel Electric Company will begin a pilot program to allow individuals to collect energy from solar panels and send them to the Israel power grid, and get paid!

Israel established in the late 90s a government ministry (איכות הסביבה) to deal with environmental issues. This ministry - Eychut Hasviva, has worked diligently over the last 5 years to establish many new recycling programs. All plastic and glass bottles under 1 liter in size are purchased with a deposit fee, with convenient recycling ‘vending machines’ at the supermarkets for return and cash payback.

Most major cities in Israel now have collection points for larger plastic bottles (over 1 liter), and a new pilot program has been initiated for paper materials collection in designated bins.

Plastic Recylcing Bin

According to the Israel Export Office hybrid car sales have risen 300% since 2007.  Brace yourself, Israel has committed to creating a green / electric car network by 2011.   Imagine if all the power needed to run Israel’s cars was harnassed from the rooftop sun collectors and sent to the Israel Electric Company for a net gain in GDP with no additional outlays.  What a way to reduce foreign energy dependence and to reshift the power balance in the Middle East.

The Burma Road was a makeshift track built by Israeli forces headed by general Mickey Marcus during the 1948 Siege of Jerusalem, inspired by the WWII route into China. Source: Wikipedia

Here’s some photos of this famous road today:

Click on Images to see Full Size:

Sometimes the best photos are just lurking around your house.

Well, in this case, one of them is a nearly nighttime photo of a couple houses in my neighborhood with a nice blue sky and with a cool cloud pattern.

This next photo is of a tree on my street as it shines and glistens in the nightime light.

Hiking in Israel is absolutely wonderful.  There are literally hundreds of trails for all shapes and sizes.  All of the trails are clearly marked with painted stones guiding you through the path.

One of the best parts of hiking in Israel is that many of the trails are a mere 5 min walk from a city or village.  Here’s one beautiful view near Nahal Kisalon which is nestled in a forest between Eshtaol, Kisalon, and Beit Meir.  There is so much to see in this region of the country!

Beit Guvrin (Bet Guvrin) is a national park in Israel, about 15km east of Kiryat Gat. This cave city was dug out in the 3rd-2nd centuries BCE (Hellenistic Period) and sits about 400m above sea level, with soft chalky rock. The inhabitants profited from raising pigeons. This cave shows pigeon nesting holes that were dug out in symetrical lines.

Recently Added Photos of Beit Guvrin Caves. Notice how these top openings are cylindrical. That’s impressive for 2,000+ years ago. The cave dwellers used these holes for sunlight. They covered them with leaves and straw in the winter months to protect from cold and rain.

Ok, so maybe the title is a bit misleading. These bulls and cows *happen* to be in Israel. I guess that makes them Israeli. Unless they are like 50% of the Israeli population of humans, e.g. they came from another place.

Israel is a small country, with small parcels of land. Cows require a lot of room to roam, and pastures. Both of which are limited in the Holy Land. Most Kibbutzim have dairies that produce milk for local consumption, but cows and bulls just don’t roam here that much. There are, however, a few “dude ranches”. I have seen cattle grazing in the Golan, and more so, near Park Britannia, and Beit Guvrin.

And without further ado…Here are some Holy Exposure photos of cows in Israel:

The art of bull dodging in Israel

Thank G_D this bull and I had a reasonable distance . At least it gave me a chance to make a run for it! I’m not kidding, this bull was about a split-second from starting to charge me, until he saw that I had ducked and run.

Bulls have to scratch their ears too…

What makes an outstanding flower image?

Here are some of the important factors:

1. Exposure/Lighting - Time of day is the biggest factor here. Just at dawn or before sunset are the best times to photograph outdoors. Just before sunset the color temperature is great for flowers. The color saturation is best without the powerful sun overhead. However, you have to be careful not to get shadows into the image.

2. Tripod - Never try to take a serious photograph of nature with the camera in your hand! The slightest of camera shake renders the fuzzies.

3. Bokeh - Look at the image below for a good example of bokeh (the out of focus background). For this effect, you’ll need a quality lens, and you’ll want to open the aperture as much as you can. This will also mean a lower shutter speed, which is another reason why you’ll need a tripod. A nice bokeh will also give the image a 3D illuminating quality.

4. Luck and perseverance.

5. Time. You’ll need to shoot a lot of images to achieve good results in just a few. See rule #4.

See our earlier posting with some examples of Flora in Israel

Here’s a couple more:

Even a weed can look dramatic…

There’s always something so serene about seeing a flock of sheep or goats by the side of a road grazing. They seem so relaxed and without burden. Actually, the job of the herdsman is anything but relaxing. He is generally responsible for the well-being of a hundred or so animals, and the finances of his family.

The Torah (Bible) tells many examples of true leaders of the Jewish people from their beginnings as herdsmen, such as Moses (Moshe Rabeinu), King David, Joseph, and many of the prophets as well.

Here’s some photos of herds in natural settings around Israel:

You know the old expression “right under your nose”? Ramat Bet Shemesh was plopped down about 9 years ago atop some of the most beautiful nature trails in the center of Israel. Here are some photos from the hill surrounding Ramat Bet Shemesh. An easy 5 minute walk off the main roads into the fields will open your eyes to some really beautiful nature spots in Israel.

These images were taken in Spring just a few meters past Nahal Hayarden, where I’m told there will be new build it yourself plots (B’nei Beytcha) offered shortly. Go and enjoy yourself before the land is appropriated for new construction. (Be careful, however, not to go at night. There are many animals prowling about, such as jackals and dogs, possums, and even porcupines, that may not be as hospitable as we’d like).

Dawn of a New Day - Judean Days (Super Size)

Imagine having this sunrise every morning! I thought maybe it was like this in the beginning of time.

This wonderful view is courtesy of the Judean Foot Hills at around 5:30 am one Summer morning.

Tech details: NikonF100, Fuji Velva Chrome, 1/60, tripod