Jerusalem - Beneath the Sites The innocuous moments of daily life in the Holy City; the underlying tension, the contrasts, the joy, the innocence... Jerusalem, Beneath the Sites.

ISRAEL | Saturday, 12 January 2013 | Views [182] | View Larger Image

#1 A Congested Footpath: It could be argued that you don’t need the slightest photographic nous to take a decent shot in Jerusalem, such is aura of the city and its abundance of sites. Never really one for sites and attractions, I wanted to focus on the innocuous moments of daily life in the city; the underlying tension, the contrasts, the joy, the innocence. It didn’t take long before I witnessed my first key moment. I was exploring East Jerusalem, the Arab district, when swathes of young Israeli soldiers casually entered in separate groups, in their hundreds, walking through what appeared to be a fixed route. What struck me was how nonchalant everyone was, both the locals of East Jerusalem toward the soldiers, and vice versa. It was as if neither side knew the other was there. The sentiment is captured here, if you observe the lady in the shot, you’ll see she is looking at the ground, which she did until the soldiers had cleared. It was one of several fascinating scenes.