By YESHOSHUA HALEVI
Cotton has received a bad rap in Israel because it is an intensive water consumer in a region short on water supplies. Israeli scientists are trying to develop high-quality strains that require less water, but in the meantime, we’ll have to imagine the wads of fluff melting into the soil and replenishing our aquifers. I like this photo because it presents an unusual view of Israel from two perspectives.First, a foreboding sky is atypical in a country with a very mild climate. Secondly, this scene resembles winter more than late summer when it was taken, and certainly differs from the olive orchards that typify this country’s landscape.Once again I had to venture off road to find this viewpoint. Passersby might not even notice the field as it is obscured from view by roadside vegetation.I did spot it and drove headfirst into the thick of it, as I had never before stood in a cotton field and wanted the additional thrill of admiring it up close. There was nothing prominent on the horizon so I grabbed my widest lens in order to accentuate the vastness of the field. I raised the camera to its highest point on my tripod, which is over my head, so I stood on the doorsill of my car in order to focus and compose the image. To bring the closest plants into prominence, I pointed the camera down slightly and fired off the self-timer, a useful feature to avoid the shake that results from pressing the shutter release.Yehoshua Halevi is an award-winning photojournalist and event photographer. For queries on simha photography in Israel and Europe, please send an e-mail smile@goldenlightimages.com. View the entire Israel the Beautiful series at www.israelthebeautiful.blogspot.com
if(catID != 151){
var cont = `Take Israel home with the new Jerusalem Post Store