My WorldNomads Journal

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Friday, October 15, 2010 | 5 photos

I have captured Israel and the occupied territories of Palestine through my lens. The world is aware of one reality about the place through pictures from the media. A reality of war, oppression, religious extremism and terrorism, the fight about who was first and therefore "owns" the land.

I tried to portray the superficiality of this claim. And decided to do so with finding a common ground between Israelis and Palestinians – the first creatures that walked these areas were dinosaurs. That makes them the true claimants of this magic place.

So I followed the dinosaurs through the country, and took pictures of them meeting people. In the bus they met a nice Israeli lady, then they were almost kidnapped by a little Arab boy in Jerusalem. The next morning they were protected by a young Israeli soldier who let them pass into West Bank, where they encountered a Palestinian street vendor and at night a young man offered them a ride on his mule.

As a child I first heard about Bhutan when a law enforcing everyone who cut down a tree to plant two saplings was passed. Since I always loved nature this fascinated me and I learned more about this place. To make it short, I always wanted to go there.

I have always been a visual person. That is why I developed, from my early childhood, the desire to find a way to hold on to my impressions.

As a teenager I started making my own pictures and fell in love with the possibilities it offered. Since I did not study photography I never got the opportunity to work as a professional photographer but I know that this is what I want to do! I am evolving as a photographer and professional input would help. This scholarship would enable me to learn about what I love – photography and see a place I always wanted to see.