Walking through Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, I paused to ponder a stall where donuts were being sold. An old man leaned in to me and whispered in my ear, “I know where you can get 10 for 10 shekels.” A good price, indeed, I thought, but I told him, “I don’t eat ’em, just shoot ’em.”
One of the cultural bumps many American immigrants to Israel seem never to hurdle is the idea that donuts symbolize Chanukah. We have too much health consciousness ingrained in our souls to ever enjoy an oil-soaked donut without feeling guilt y. Israelis, on the other hand, buy them by the box. Well, they do look good and smell delicious and kids love ’em. And today’s gourmet donuts are prettier and tastier than ever.
This shot was taken with one of my kit toys, a digital remake of the classic Nikon 50 mm f1.4 lens. The huge aperture allows for shooting in natural light in almost any situation, especially when you can raise the camera’s ISO to 1600 or more without degrading image quality. I left the ISO at 400, however, because this tray of freshly baked sufganiyot were on display near the front of the bakery, where light poured in through a huge window looking out onto Agrippas Street. I opened up to f2.8, which squashed the depth of field and formed a nice blurred background, perfect for overlaying the holiday greeting. Chag Urim Sameach from Jerusalem.