A Beautiful Land

I have to admit, my first day in Israel, I couldn't quite see why so many Psalms praised the beauty of the land. It's much hillier than I had expected (although here they call mountains what at home we call hills...), and covered with rocks and boulders. But the further we have travelled here, the more I see its praiseworthy beauty. Someone has said, "When God went to create the world, he decided to create a scale model, and called it Israel." There's truth in this; within very short distances, it is possible to go from sea to mountain to valley to desert. A great deal of variety (not to mention history) are packed into this small country, and every twenty minutes of driving brings to view a new geography.

It's spring here, and the flowers are in full bloom. The above field of wild poppies is in the Jordan River Valley. The near side is Israel; the other side of the river is the country of Jordan.

One of my favorite adventures so far on the trip was swimming in the Dead Sea. The lowest point on the face of the earth, the Dead Sea (also known as the Salt Sea) is composed so heavily of minerals that nothing grows or lives in it. Its mineral composition also makes the water so dense that you can sit down in it and float. Which was great for me, since I don't normally have a floatable bone in my body. That was a real delight, to lie in the water, without effort or fear, and bob like an apple.

The Sea of Galilee

I've been in Israel for several days now. It's fairly overwhelming to be in a place where you're constantly exposed to about 5000 years of history. Sorting it all out is difficult. But it's obviously a special place, the crossroads of the world, really.


At Hell's Gate (an ancient temple area of Greek influence, dedicated to Pan) in Caesarea Phillipi, I had some fun photographing children from a local kibbutz. Seeing so many historical sites is fascinating, but photos of piles of rocks gets old. It was enjoyable to see some life amongst the ruins.

These two images are from the Sea of Galilee. It's a fascinating area, with so many historical, meaningful places within walking distance of each other. The area is very hilly, and I frequently imagine Jesus walking and boating about, disciples in tow.

Langas

I was given a walking tour of the Langas slums by Pastor Esther, a dear woman working there with poor children. She takes in children, teaches them, feeds them, helps them get into schools, and much more. Below you'll find a few images from Langas, as we walked and talked through the area. See if you can find my self-portrait....

View more of my humanitarian and travel photography at www.fritzphotographic.com.

More Eldoret

One of our buses that carts us around....

People waiting patiently at the free medical clinic....

A new friend, Barnabas, who works in housekeeping at the hotel....

London

We spent a few hours in London on Sunday, between flights. It was a very quick tour, on a beautiful, sunny, spring day. A few favorites:

Eldoret, Kenya

Well, having made it to Kenya, through 4 airplanes and a lengthy bus ride, we are in Eldoret. A beautiful, beautiful country, sunny, with friendly people. It's good to be here.

Yesterday I photographed the dedication of the Open Arms property, a groundbreaking ceremony for the grounds that will become a medical clinic for the villagers, an AIDS orphanage, and more. In good African tradition, the ceremony started about 2 hours late, and people kept arriving throughout the day--probably about a thousand of them, all arriving by foot or bicycle.


Part of the festivities included a ceremonial procession and dance by the local Callingen tribal ceremony. This is their leader.


I can only say I was jealous of this young man's repose; it was a long day. And unlike me, he doesn't have to worry about sunburn....


As I was working, this man, David, invited me to his home. With his wife, we walked the red dirt paths, through barbed wire fences and fields, to their beautiful little farm. Over tea, we talked about farming, looked over their Bible and hymn book (in Callingen), and watched a few minutes of lions bringing down a zebra on their 9-inch black and white television (powered by a 12-volt car battery). A sweet couple, and the highlight of my day.


On the way back from lunch at the local Chief's house, this woman asked me--with hand gestures and words I could not comprehend--to take her photograph. No, the locals (except for this woman) don't all dress in furs and have large holes in their ears, as this woman does. But who can turn down a request to take such a photograph?

Portland travel photographers.

Off to Kenya

It's fitting that I photographed Bob and Kitty Magee today. I was hired by Seattle Pacific University's magazine Response to create a portrait of this dynamic couple. They helped found the Bible Study Fellowship in Africa and the Middle East, while they were based in Nairobi, Kenya. A vivacious couple, full of energy and very hospitable.

The fitting part: I leave for Kenya in the morning. I'll be photographing there for a couple weeks, with Open Arms International. I traveled with OA to India a couple years ago, documenting their medical relief work after the tsunami. This time I'll be documenting their work with medical clinics for street youth and others in Kenya, as well as their Small Business Conference, Women's Conference, Sports Camp, and more. Plus, they're dedicating their 52-acre property, on which they will be building an orphanage and medical clinic. Pretty cool stuff.

After Kenya, we'll be off to Israel for a week. Keep an eye on the blog here for updates. As I am able (if I am able), I'll try to post interesting images and stories from the trip.

The Snow Fairy

A couple weeks ago I photographed at a local middle school during Spirit Week. The particular day I was there was Create Your Own Superhero Day. What a delight to watch the kids come in with their own superhero costumes, names, and superpowers. I took a lot of photographs.

One particular favorite, above, is of a demure young lady who came in as the Snow Fairy. Her superpower is to magically take the coldness out of people so their hearts are warm. My heart is warmed just looking at her and her lovely costume.

View more from this photographic series at www.fritzliedtke.com.

Junior High Hugs

Isn't Junior High just a wonderful memory?

.

Musee de l'Elysee

I just received this photograph, an installation view of one of my images on display at the Musee de l'Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland. It's part of the show "All Photographers Now","from February 8th, 2007 to May 20th, 2007. If you happen to be in the Lausanne area, be sure to stop in!

Zoe

I find myself more and more drawn to faces, alone. I love to watch people, but usually in photographing them I'm making some statement about who they are, utilising their environment, dress, body language, action.

But faces. Like a butterfly hunter with his swinging net, searching constantly for something intriguing, out of the ordinary, or even something lovely in its ordinariness, I begin to collect faces. Eyes, really. And light.

In Mexico, I met a local man with the most beautiful green eyes. His name was Fili, and we expected to spend a day or two with him. Unfortunately, due to illness, we never saw him again, and I grieve the loss of the image of his kind face and those beautiful green eyes. So I become more diligent, capturing what intrigues me, swinging my net about for those rare beauties that come along the path. Pinning them to velvet for remembrance, inspiration.

Georgia O'Keefe's teacher taught her to "fill the canvas with beautiful things," so I shall.

View more at www.fritzliedtke.com.

SPU Choir and Symphony in Concert

SPU's Gospel Choir Director Stephen Newby

I had a job this evening photographing the Seattle Pacific University Choir and Symphony. Tough job to shoot creatively in an hour. But I managed to knock out some favorites with their spirited choir and director. Here you go:

This girl saved my bacon; just the enthusiasm I needed for some energetic shots.

Ever wondered what a choir looked like from the backside on stage? I hadn't either.

But it's pretty cool, and the whole stage shakes when they dance and sing....

Looking for one of the most experienced Portland photographers for an editorial magazine assignment like this?  Look no further.

The Virgin of Bucerias

I spent the past week or so in Mexico, in the town of Bucerias. It's near Puerto Vallarta, on the Bay of Banderas. While there, we were able to enjoy the town's annual week-long fiesta. On the last night of the fiesta, a procession wends its way through town toward the cathedral, with music, dancers, and a float featuring the young Virgin Mary and the Christ child. This is all followed by a spectacular fireworks display in the town square.

My favorite image, above, is of the young girl playing the Virgin outside of the cathedral. Here are a couple more:

.

Through the Shadow, February 1-27

Through the Shadow

February 1-March 26, 2007

Photo Print Gallery

Pacific NW College of Art

...

Opening: First Thursday, February 1, 6-8pm

Come by and say hello! There's always a lot happening at PNCA on First Thursday!

...

This show features work produced while on a 2 week
art residency at Caldera's Central Oregon facility.

Benham Gallery Show, January 10 - February 10, 2007

If you are in the Seattle area this month, I have a piece in a group show at the Benham Gallery, January 10 - February 10, 2007. They're located just around the corner from the Seattle Art Museum, at 1216 First Ave.

Perfecto Glass Jewelry

Local artisan Bryce Tiffner makes this beautiful glass jewelry by hand. He and his wife Paola own Perfecto Glass Jewelry, and we had fun photographing it with some excellent models. If you like it (and Valentine's Day is coming right up...), you can find it online here.

As Portland photographers, we love photographing for local artisans like this!

Photo Weblogs Webring Next Random List

Adaliah is off to Tibet

We have some friends who have been living and studying in China and Tibet for some time now. They recently returned to the states to have their first baby, by the name of Adaliah. They asked me to take a few photos of them before heading back to Asia.

I don't photograph babies too often, but boy can they make for goofy pictures. (There are many touching, beautiful porttraits as well; I'm just showing the goofy ones here....) Here are a few samples; I should set up a Caption Contest for them....

"Yo, Homes, wazzup?"

The Environmental Portrait Workshop at PNCA

Manuel Izquierdo, Sculptor

Portland, Oregon, 2004

This Spring, I will be teaching a new workshop at Pacific Northwest College of Art, called The Environmental Portrait. It's a natural class for me to teach, since I love and have been making location portraits for a couple of decades now. Here's the class description:

When a photographer takes a portrait of someone in their natural surroundings, we call it Environmental or Location Portraiture. Environmental portraits are a way of saying more about a person than is possible in the artificial confines of the photographic studio or a simple headshot. Photographers have used environmental portraiture to document figures in popular culture (Annie Liebowitz, Arnold Newman), social commentary and documentary (Dorothea Lange, Milton Rogovin), and the expression of personal vision (Keith Carter).

In this class we will look at the work of master location portrait photographers, current and past; review and critique each other's work; and discuss how location portraits say much about the subject, but also about the social and political context in which they live. We will be working with models, model and property releases, available and artificial lighting techniques, the portrait as a series, composition, camera and media choices, output and presentation, and more. We will also go on location with models for demonstrations, and for time to photograph in class with instructor oversight. Both film and digital shooters in any medium are welcome. The class will culminate with a portrait series as a final project.

Prerequisites: A firm grasp of basic photographic technique, and a passion for portraits.

The class is on Saturday mornings from 10:00am-12:30pm, and runs Apr 07-May 12. You can find out more and register at the PNCA Continuing Education Program site.

Heather

A portrait of photographer Heather Hawksford, in the new James John Cafe in St Johns. Quintessential Portlandiana. I love being a Portland photographer.

Talitha Koum

A photo for the day: really a combination of photography and encaustics, which is an ancient form of painting involving beeswax, pigment, and mixed media. You can see more in this series here.