Haifa – Harvest Life

In 2012, I joined a Bible Study Tour of Israel. I had recently purchased my first DSLR camera, a Sony A33 and that was perhaps the first big trip I attempted to get some great images of. Unfortunately, the majority of the images were taken with a somewhat shaky hand and blurry eye. That hasn’t stopped me from saving them with a hope for future skills and software. So here we are.

I’ve dug into my archives to play with some of the panoramas I really wanted to work. All of the below images are composites. I combine images with Microsoft Image Composite Editor (ICE). The color edits are done in Lightroom. You can see where some additional touch-up are needed on the rougher images; that work will be done in Photoshop.

Learning how to do a high quality edit for my images has been a long-term goal. One of the best parts of 2020, is having the time to learn new skills and practice them and apply them to my work.

These are quick edits, but I think they illustrate a great amount of possibilities for creative work with tools created for the trade.

Jerusalem, Israel, City on Seven Hills. Looking across to Temple Mount. c. 2012

Golan Heights, Israel looking towards Lebanon. c 2012

Here are some panoramic photos taken on my March 2012 trip to Israel. We started off in Haifa (northern Israel) where we stayed for eight days and made day trips to surrounding locales.

On the slopes of the Carmel Mountains lies Haifa, capital of North Israel. Haifa is a special city due to its diversity of landscapes and culture. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Druze and Bahai, are actively practiced in Haifa and the surrounding area: creating a multi-cultural social fabric. Haifa also has breathtaking scenery. From itse beaches and curved bay to the forested range of the Carmel Mountains, Haifa is delightful to look at. Haifa is located about an hour away from Tel-Aviv. Haifa is a good starting point for exploring the North Western part of Israel.

Sunrise over Haifa Bay, Israel 2012 — Sunrise over Haifa BayThe view from my hotel room - over-looking at Haifa Bay. Haifa sits on the Mediterranean Sea at the edge of the Carmel Mountain range.The Bahá’í World Centre, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel, 2012The Shrine of the Báb, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel.In the center of the Sea of Galilee

The Bahá’í World Centre, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel, 2012

: Looking across to a Galilean town from the water

Looking across to a Galilean town from the water

: Looking across to the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

Looking across to the Temple Mount from the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

: View from Tel Dan. Looking across valley towards Lebanon and the town, Ghajar.

Ghajar is an Alawite village on the Hasbani River on the border between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied portion of the Golan Heights. Dan, is a city mentioned in the Bible, described as the northernmost city of the Kingdom of Israel, belonging to the Tribe of Dan. The city is identified with the tel known as Tel Dan (Mound of Dan), or Tel el-Qadi (Mound of the Judge {“Dan” meaning “judge”, or “one who judges”}) in Israel.

: Hazor, mustard plants in the foreground, Jordan valley in the background

Standing on Tel Hazor, looking at the surrounding landscape. Tel Hazor is the site of an ancient fortified city in the Upper Galilee, among the most important Caananite towns, and the largest ancient ruin in modern Israel. The bible gave it the title: “the head of all those kingdoms”.

: Hazor, looking towards the Lower City

Standing on Tel Hazor, looking at the surrounding hills. Tel Hazor is the site of an ancient fortified city in the Upper Galilee, among the most important Caananite towns, and the largest ancient ruin in modern Israel. The bible gave it the title: “the head of all those kingdoms”.

: Caesarea, israel (2012)

Caesarea, israel (2012)

The last four days of the trip were spent in Jerusalem.

Overlooking the full model of Jerusalem (late second temple period) at The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

: City of Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

View of the whole city (new and old) from Abraham’s Ridge, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

: Mount of Olives, Jerusalem (2012)

Looking down the hillside of the Mount of Olives, the most expensive burial site in Israel, Jerusalem (2012)

: Looking across to the Mount of Olives from the Southern Wall of Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

Looking across to the Mount of Olives from the Southern Wall of Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

: Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel (2012)

Looking at the western retaining wall of Temple Mount. There is a makeshift wall in the middle that separates men and women who come to pray. Jerusalem, Israel (2012)