I will never forget my first photography assignment, in the early 1990s, for the Seven Days weekend supplement of the Yedioth Ahronoth daily paper. It provided me with instructive insight into the communications world. At the time, Seven Days was read by about 70% of Israeli households, and the symbolic and monetary value of a four-page spread was priceless. According to the unwritten contract, the interview subject, in exchange for stupendous public exposure, would supply an exclusive personal revelation, something sensational or scandalous. The photographer's job was to provide an eye-catching portrait of the person being interviewed, colored by his personal and unique perspective and interpretation. My first mission was to photograph top hairstylist Shuki Zikri, at the time a mega brand, who was always surrounded by a media buzz, and had a multi-branch hair salon chain and a successful line of beauty products. I later supplied photographs to the Hadashot newspaper (1984-93).
I was introduced to photography for the theater at a young age, as an assistant at the Mulah-Haramati studio, and later as a senior assistant to Israel Haramati. The beloved Morel Derfler, may he rest in peace, who was the house photographer for the Haifa Theater, told me that he was about to leave Israel for an extended period, and proposed that I replace him as the theater's photographer. And so for several years I found myself photographing all the productions at the Haifa Theater. It was quite the professional challenge to use photographic film to photograph theater. To my delight, due to the high cost of every frame, I was compelled to be very familiar with the plays and each scene, to hone my ability to perceive in a most precise manner, and to limit the number of camera clicks to the most significant moments.
