(Warm thanks to Gilad for featuring this portrait in his journal...)



Gilad Benari is one of the most famous photographers (Conceptual Artist) on Deviant Art. See his DA page : [link] , his website : [link] and his Flickr page : [link]

With his astounding photos, he lets us see the simple elements of our world in a different and beautiful way. He says himself: "I love to vary my experience in photography. I believe that the real joy in photography is in the trivial, in small things".

Gilad comes from Israel (Tel Aviv). The good thing with his photos is that they show another side of this country, often criticized because of it's offensive policy towards Palestine.

He explains: "Israel suffers an image of being a desert land, or simply a war zone, when showing it all over the world news. Being a photographer and a writer, I have a chance to show otherwise."

Gilad Benari is so respected here that each time he submits a new picture, it goes straight to the "Popular" images on DA home page, and then it goes to the best "Prints", also on DA home page. This definitely increases his audience.

Congratulations Gilad, you're talented for sure.

Below are links to some of my favorite photos by him :

- Tel Aviv Dance : [link]
- Tall City : [link]
- Azrieli Center : [link]
- Two Burning Matches : [link]
- Between Earth and Sky : [link]
- One Day : [link]
- Window of Opportunity : [link]
- Clouds Factory : [link]

Gilad can be contacted at : giladbenari@walla.com

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Narcissus, Photographer

By Erica Jong

Mirror-mad,
he photographed reflections:
sunstorms in puddles,
cities in canals,

double portraits framed
in sunglasses,
the fat phantoms who dance
on the flanks of cars.

Nothing caught his eye
unless it bent
or glistered
over something else.

He trapped clouds in bottles
the way kids
trap grasshoppers.
Then one misty day

he was stopped
by the windshield.
Behind him,
an avenue of trees,

before him,
the mirror of that scene.
He seemed to enter
what, in fact, he left.

(The poem appeared on [link])