Galilee

Heading up to Nazareth Village we witnessed the phenomenon of Israeli shepherding. Israeli shepherds lead their sheep and it is impressive to watch. The shepherd shown in this photo is actually an actor and the sheep didn't know him very well. Normally they follow their shepherd closely wherever he goes. Hence Psalm 21: The Lord is my Shepherd, he leadeth me. If you have ever felt coerced in life, this is a good concept to think about. Only the butcher uses dogs to drive his sheep in Israel.

Dreamy, trippy times at the Dead Sea

Visiting the Dead Sea was my son's favourite part of the holiday. There is something very spacey about the place, perhaps because of the low pressure. It was a buffer zone in our intense journey to Israel.

Bahai rainbow

After Sinai, my son Leo and I somehow found ourselves booking tickets to Israel. After staying with a friend in Jerusalem and chilling out at the Dead Sea we journeyed up to the Bahai gardens in the north, which I was to photograph for a picture library. As soon as we arrived a thunderstorm broke out and I simultaneously realised that I had lost my wallet. When I look at this photograph I can't help feeling that the staircase down is rather heavy, whilst the rainbow is light and pointing upwards. Almost as if the two were in contrast with each other. I was interested by the Bahai gardens, which are kept almost maniacally clean. We were lucky to have a private guide and made our way down the mammoth number of staircases. The gardens are stunning - any religion that creates a spiritual garden has to get some brownie points...