Me as a photographer

 

My name is Orna Timen.

I'm a photographer based in Tel Aviv, Israel.

I have two sisters who are grown up from me in quit a lot. My first camera I got at age 8 years old. A pocket camera (a very simply one which was used at the '70 and start of '80 of 20 century). A used one by my sisters. The second one - the same thing. Photography takes a part of my life since I was a kid. My oldest sister learned proffesional photography at young age when I was a kid and started to be a teen ager. The cameras still where analog with films. Many time I was her model for homeworks. My first knowlegde and love to photography came from her. Now she does some other kinds of art, I stayed with photography. I was sure that for me photography is just a hobby, but I had some thought to push it out. I guess I was afraid to show it. When I got back to Tel Aviv from a long brake at a city called Kfar Saba (also a city in the center of Israel) - I started to learn flamenco. Well, I started too "old" and I don't practice enough for being a pro dancer, but it gave me a lot. One of the things was self confidence. And I started showing my photography to the world.

At the years 2008 I started showing my photography at group exhibitions. So far I took a part in exhibitions over Tel aviv, Jaffa and Shoham (Israel). By the artistic photography that I do - I make a try to catch moments and many times take it out of contast. Sometimes I try to direct moment which looks weird or funny. 

I wanted more and moved also to commercial photography and really studdy. At the year 2015 with a new pro camera I started to take some dance photography workshops and started to practie it, mostly over my fellows at flamenco. I still take stage arts photography when culture is on. Mostly dance and music shows at clubs. For a year and a half I was working as a photographer at music magazine (from 2016 till mid 2017) and many music shows that I've been at with my camera that time was for the magazine. When I'm taking stae art photography I do my best to catch some great moments, give a feeling that the people who see the photos has been at the show as well, and people on stage - they should look amazing as they are. I leanrd on a regular base at Studio Gavra. A great photography school at Tel Aviv and home. I still come back to Studio gavra for some more workshops cause I enjoy learning grow up my ability. I also takes food photography. Always vegetarian and vegan. I am a vegetarian, for a while with guilty feelings that I didn't become vegan, so no animals on the plate - also when I'm taking photos. As far as I love animals and have a lot of experience with dogs - I also take dogs' photography. Accept my own dogs - I took many times photos at dogs and cats' shelter that I volunteered at for years. The dog that I have for the last 5 years (who got many photos) has been adoppted from there. People who want photos of their dogs can come to me with the dogs.

When I'm taking food photography - I always take it in colors. When it other things - many times it's in black and white because I love the artistic thing and drama it gives. Dogs - a bit of both. 

The Corona Virus a bit stopped me from the commercial photography, so I found myself go back to the artistic style. And got back to a photography exhibition which took a part at Tel Aviv at the year 2020. I was one of the photographers in the exhibition. I hope to find the balance between being an artistic photographer who takes a part in exhibitions (and hopefully also some solo exhibitions) and a commercial photographer. 

The photo here: a part of a photography project that I do in the last months. The thing that comes in all the project is a tiger doll. I do it with a guidance of another photographer who's older than me in age and photography experience. Although she also loves black and white photography - she asked me to try also in colors from time to time at the project. Amazing that a colored photo that I took feels good - also to me