Wedding 3 - The Rabbi

This is the rabbi , important part of the wedding  ceremony.

please read preface:

Opening this file is for me closing a circle. In 2003 I was asked to write about life in Israel, to my world wide  women Org ( Soroptimist International ) the editor and partner of mine was Dr. Hendre Falkson,  an oncologist, and a member which  belonged to the  South African Union.( it was written for 3 years until she died. May her soul  rest in peace). One of the letters is telling about a man which is the founder of a group by the name of  "ZAKA.(Acronym of " Identifying disaster victims") enclosed  is the letter that will tell his special story, to the  interested, rolling down the page one can  read about- ZAKA- Meshi Zahav,  which I have then  interviewed.

Http://sisouthafrica.freeservers.com/Israel_glass3.HTML

The man and his life surrounding, are ultra religious,  where I'm secular. It did not disturb him to invite me to his daughter's wedding, and was generous in letting me photograph the wedding and let me show the results freely.  (even though he has invited professional wedding photographers), My point of view of the ceremony, reflected in the photos  was my present for  him, the young couple, and his family .For me it was was a very different /exciting  experience .They have received  and liked the results very much. I would like to share some of them with you.
 
Thanks for viewing

It is a series of a wedding ceremony,a very ultra orthodox.Please see

wedding N 1and N 2 .Thanks

Oh the glow.  Such a lovely, lovely capture.  His eyes, soft and wise.

The light is used as the grand painters did in XVII century. Very-very nice work.

Wonderful shot and composition Pnina!! I really like the expression and softness of his beard...

A gentle portrait with beautiful light; he illuminates the darkness probably in many ways.

Excelente retrato, magnifica composicion y encuadre, con una estupenda exposicion, sensacional luz tonos y enfoque. ++

Saludos -Tolo.

My favourite of the three.  What does it say when the Rabbi's candid portrait upstages the bride's & groom's?  :-)  This one has a very painterly quality to it.  He is very photogenic.   I've seen a similar image in an art book.  (Rembrandt's 'The Rabbi' or 'Bearded Man in Black Baret'?)    http://www.abcgallery.com/R/rembrandt/rembrandt156.html    Also, I like his placement in the frame and the amount of negative space you've allotted.  Nice tight crop at the top as well.  Seems to give his face even more prominence.  The beautifully soft warm light reminds me of that used in the wedding scenes in the movie "Fiddler On The Roof".  Best, LM.

Pnina, It is stunning!!

Jeff, he is a very impressive rabbi for me, it was very hard to photo him under the canopy....

Gunnar that was my impression as well some figure from Rembrandt or other paintings of that period,...., thanks very much for the analogy.

Andrea, nice to see you again, thanks for liking.

 Donna, I was informed that he was writing the "כתובה" , a very impressive man.

Tolo, and Tony  thanks as well !

Len ,your analogy (and thanks for the link) was my impression of him as well but you saw only 3 of them , I was uploading 4 of them that day(very rare usually), because I wanted to show some chronology as a beginning ,so look at all the wedding series till now,and stay tuned ,to be continued....;-)) Thanks for your nice impression of an impressive Rabbi and human being.

http://photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=977641

Pnina, this portrait is, indeed, a masterpiece. Cropping, exposure, light and skin tone are superb. Many thanks for sharaing the four images together, for us to view the ceremony and customs of your ancient country.

Absolutely gorgeous photo Pnina. Great! The composition the sharpness of his beard and the smoothness of his skin with the totally black background makes this photo a great technical achievement. The eyes looking downwards  and his reflective look makes it into a great portrait too. Just beautiful, Pnina.

Added to my favorites.

Lovely character shot. Nicely capyured. - Charles

Amal, thanks for all of them, it was a very pleasant surprise for being invited to this unusual  ceremony ( for a secular woman which I'm). It was exciting and educating at the same time,  also for me

Anders, thanks a lot, I must admit that I "fell in love" with that human being,(seeing him for a fraction under the canopy) . I called the family to ask who he is.They have  told me who he is and said that he was part of the ceremony, but  may not want any details about him , so I respect it. I find him  a very impressive human being and a rabbi.   Thanks again for making it your favorite,You know I appreciate it!

Charles thank as well.! ( found you after I have finished writing,whithin the 10 minuts limits....;-))

Pnina, this is absolutely lovely. His expression, glasses and beard all work in harmony, and the light is very much like a 17th c. Dutch painting. Two things bother me: the blurring on his hair is overdone, IMO, and the streaks from his eyeglasses to camera left of his right eye look unnatural.

The lighting and expression is wonderful! Terrific photo!

Wonderful light here,Pnina!The blurry parts in this image give it a paintinglike appearance.Very nice portrait indeed!

Cheers,Jim

Outstanding work, Pnina, the whole series is very lively. Regards, VA

Excellent!!

Alberto

I find it to be similar to the style of the old painters who used light to draw focus , especially in portraitures.  I do agree with Les' assessment.  Overall a good photo. I also like the negative space that you kept on the left.  Nice series. :)

Les ,thanks for your added  points.His hair is as in reality . As it was taken under  the canopy, another man's back with a blue shirt was covering  part of his hair, the rest is as came out from the camera, I will look again ,the streaks are easy to correct.  This one   was the hardest  to PP, of them all.....

Jamie, Jim, Vadim and Alberto ,thanks as well, I have many photos taken at this beautiful /unusual wedding ,quite some in difficult condition, especially under the canopy...

Joe thanks,fresh from school ...;-)) you know the art history...Light was and is always an  issue in many paintings ( for sure portraitures, but not only) of the past,and photography in general.

Wonderful, rich tones from the dark umber of the clothing to the glowing skin tones and finally the whispy off-white of the rabbi's beard. He is very much present in this exceptional portrait.

A powerful capture with presence.  I am mesmerized by the light and the deep expression on his face.  Thanks for sharing this fantastic series and allowing us a rare glimpse into the lives of these protagonists. 

I too was immediately drawn to this photo, as it is a very powerful capture indeed (even seen smaller). I very much love your composition here and use of fine light, (& especially after the difficult circumstances, you mentioned!) as has already has been noted by others above. The serious and applied expression of the rabbi, and the beautiful (lack of) colors and light make for an original, very interesting and very fine portrait, imo...! (& I agree, it definitely has something Rembrandtesque...)   --  PS: I will add this to my favorites :-)  

My best regards to you, Pnina (and thank you again for your recent email!)

Jack, Thanks , it is as I wrote one of my favorites as his face are reflecting so many humanity generations.I hope this photo has arrived to him.

Adan, it was a rare, very unique occasion for me as well. I'm glad to see you here and reading your impressions.

Marjolein, thanks  for both.  Finding the time to write your impressions and adding it to your favorites( with Anders too). It is a great compliment for me that some people were reminded of the old masters, like Rembrandt's work  ( Len's link, Les  and now you...;-))

Thanks to all of you in this thread ,I'm very thankful !