I have just returned from an awesome journey to the Holy Land.  The fifteen images just posted are the first of what will be a new and important portfolio for me.

This trip was first and foremost a religious pilgrimage and not a trip where photography was the prime motive.  That being said those that know me understand that I would not go to some place like the Holy Land and leave my camera at home.  No, my camera was with me the whole time, but I can say doing quality photography was a real challenge.  At no time was I able to simply stop and think through a photo opportunity.  Every image was done on the fly, some too much so.  Nevertheless I think I brought back some quality shots suitable for my website.  It is situations such as this where years of experience and the ability to anticipate opportunities really paid dividends.  It is with pleasure that I share these images with those who follow my travels and website.

Over the next several weeks I will be adding to this portfolio as I work my way through more than 2,000 images created in eight days.  Our journey began in Caesarea, went north to Haifa, continued east to the Sea of Galilee where we spent two days, then proceeded to Jerusalem where we did short trips to Jericho, the Dead Sea, Qumran, Masada, Ein Kerem and Bethlehem.  Most of the images I will be posting will be of church architecture and street scenes in Jerusalem.  

A trip of this nature requires a lot of forethought about equipment.  Space is severally limited so photo gear must be selected with anticipation of the type of photography one will be doing.  I took two cameras, a Nikon D300s and a Nikon P7100 as a backup.  I took one lens for the SLR, a Nikkor 18-200mm zoom which is a dynamite travel lens.  I threw in a couple Lensbaby lenses which were not used due to time constraints at each site; I just didn't have time to be switching lenses.  I also took a Gitzo Traveler tripod with a Kirk ball head which was likewise not used for similar reasons, and due to the fact that most sites were too crowded for tripod use.  I use a Cotton Carrier vest to carry my camera to allow my hands to be free, and transport all gear but the tripod in a carry-on Gura bag.  That's pretty much the outfit with exception of batteries, chargers, a couple filters (Polarizer and a Vari-Neutral Density), extra storage cards, and a Digital Foci portable hard drive to which I transfer each day's production for safe keeping.  I also carry an iPAD to enable me to pre-edit selected photos and perhaps share a few while on the road.  

Check back often as I will be uploading images as I edit them.