Hello, welcome to ECTV.
My name is Michael.
And I'm Ryan.
On today's show Annabelle and Brooke will be discussing traveling abroad in the world
of photography.
Annabelle is in the studio with El Camino student M. Samuels who just recently returned
from studying abroad in Israel.
Hello I'm Annabelle and I'm here with M. Samuels who's just returned from a semester
abroad in Israel.
Today we'll be discussing how this trip has affected them emotionally and how it's drawn
them closer to their heritage.
So what prompted you to travel abroad to Israel?
Well I'm a devout reform progressive Jew and so growing up as a Jew I've always known
you know Israel is the homeland of my people and I figured there was a program that was
available for me to take so I jumped at the opportunity to see it for myself.
What program was that?
It was NIFTY and FTY the North American Federation of Temple Youth.
They do a program, a semester abroad program with high school students from all across
America known as EIE, Eisendrasch International Experience I believe.
Where in Israel were you staying?
I was staying at a place called Kibbutz Zuba.
It's in the Judean Hills about 20 minutes outside of Jerusalem.
Now what exactly is at Kibbutz?
Okay so Aki Butz is like communism almost on a very tiny scale.
It's kind of like a commune where everybody who works there gets the same salary, everybody
gets a certain allotment of money that goes to you know how much food they can buy, any
luxuries things like that depending on how many people are in their family, there's
a communal dining hall and everybody there is there willingly and they work for the good
of the community.
Now is this a common thing in Israel?
Do many people kind of live on these?
It used to be more common when Israel is being founded in the early 20s and 30s and 40s and
since then the government and the economy of Israel has become more western so Kibbutz
seem they've kind of downsized a little bit and there are fewer active ones but they are
still fairly common in Israel.
Now what did you do while you were in Israel?
What was your daily routine, what did it consist of?
On an average day we would wake up, we'd go to a two hour Hebrew class, a three hour Jewish
history class, have a lunch break and then there were seven shorter blocks in the afternoon
so that we could make sure we were doing all of our general studies classes so we could
be caught up when we got home in America but that being said we were often on field trips
or in Hebrew to Yuleim.
We'd go around the country and anything that we were learning in Jewish history class once
or twice a week we'd go out on a field trip and we'd go to the place where these things
happened to enhance the learning experience so that was also part of our regular routines
kind of just traveling all over the place and learning.
How did living in another country develop your relationship with other expats that you
went with?
It was insane.
There are things that you don't think you're going to do with other people that you end
up doing with other people.
Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're embarrassing, sometimes they're sad but really
they just end up contributing to lifelong connections that you make with these people.
Oh my gosh yes.
I had the same experience in Japan where sometimes you're just thinking about like oh I missed
that person and I only knew them for a few days.
Exactly, exactly.
If that happens over a few days I was there from the end of August to the end of December.
It was so so so crazy how close you get with these people in a very short period of time.
How did this experience impact you, reshape your world view and bring you closer to your
heritage?
Well in terms of how it impacted me, to put it very simply it strengthened my Jewish identity.
I was raised Jewish so I was new like hey my family's Jewish so I'm Jewish that's kind
of how it works right but recently in the past couple of years I've started to find
my own Jewish identity not that of my parents but being in Israel with this program with
other like-minded progressive modern Jewish teens.
It really made me find my own reason why I am Jewish not just because I was raised that
way.
In terms of my world view well my views of patriotism, of Zionism, how I feel about the
state of Israel and about the United States of America and things like that and my political
views that was a big deal everybody was talking about politics but yeah particularly my patriotism
was really reshaped in that way and for the heritage portion like I said Israel the land
of Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people right but for me the most impactful part in
that sense was when we went on a trip to Poland for a week while we were studying about the
Holocaust and I led a Shabbat service on a Friday evening in the synagogue that my family
used to pray in in a town next to Auschwitz where they were all murdered so I've always
known that I had connections with Jews in Europe with the Holocaust and that's just
something I knew as a part of my past and the past of my family but I definitely felt
more of a connection not only with the Jewish people but with my own you know flesh and
blood with my own family bringing Jewish life back in the place where they were murdered
for being Jews so that's just that's so sobering yeah it was really intense yeah I cried a lot
I'm sure that's wow did you experience any uncomfortable aspects of culture shock such
as language barriers currency exchange or different customs oh yeah oh yeah I don't
know a whole lot of Hebrew and I knew even less going into the program and while a lot
of people in Israel do speak English all the signs are in Hebrew and like just the common
language if you're walking down the street you hear people speaking Hebrew and do they
talk really fast oh my gosh so fast and I understand more than I can speak and so sometimes
there's that moment of somebody's saying something to me and I'd just be like I don't know how
to respond to you and that eased up a little bit over time but is still the language barrier
was was the hardest part and on top of that a lot of Israelis are very blunt they're kind
when you get to know them but they're very blunt very straightforward sometimes very
rude and people don't say sorry excuse me when they're you know trying to get past you
they shove you out of the way so I had to get used to that as well and I'm afraid that
I might have brought someone home with me yeah I mean and when I was in Japan you know
coming back to the US it's like I can read things in English now I don't have to like
try and translate what's symbols that's been the craziest part is coming home and being
like I can understand everything that's on a street sign or like turn on the radio and
wait I understand the language the song is in what it's it's been pretty weird after
living there for four months and being surrounded immersed in that culture and then coming back
to America and having everything be like the world here hasn't changed all that much but
my world has what was the most memorable experience during your travels as incredibly impactful
as all of the field trips and that time in Poland and and all of the the crazy hikes
and taking our to get to the top of a mountain just so you can beat the sunrise and watching
the sunrise from gosh everything was so and so crazy and have so many memories but I
think the most memorable part for me was the bus rides the day to day hanging out with
the people getting to know them figuring out how we're alike and how we're different and
having challenging conversations about politics and beliefs and values and that's just something
that happens when you're falling asleep and your roommates across the room and you just
like oh hey I'm having an existential crisis want to talk me through it and sharing your
earbuds on the bus and just getting close to these people that if I'm not going to know
them for a lifetime I'll definitely know them for a very long time yeah those those bonds
last a long time they're they're not they're not going anywhere anytime soon have you experienced
a reverse culture shock since you've been back to the United States for sure yeah I've started
saying things like when I'm out in public in fact I'm like bumping somebody like oh
she's like sorry excuse me in in Hebrew or how does the average American respond to that
like okay the word ma means what so my mom says something to be like ma and she's like
you've never called me ma before I'm like no mom no no no I'm sorry I'm sorry little
little things like that I'm getting used to Hebrew slang and and Israeli culture and then
coming back and having having it be different again like as soon as I started to get comfortable
in one culture I have to go back and I'm getting used to this other one again and it's finding
that balance I think definitely would you ever consider living in Israel full time as an expat
I I might it that's one of the biggest existential crises that I've been having in terms of how
do I feel about the Israeli government Israeli politics Israeli economy is that some place
that I'd want to raise my children things like that how do I feel about Israel versus
how do I feel about the US is there something that I believe that needs to be fought for
here is there something I believe in that needs to be fought for there things like that but
I'll be living there for at least a year in graduate school I plan on after university
going to rabbinic school and the school that I want to attend requires that first year rabbinic
students spend that year on the Jerusalem campus so I think that's really what I'm going
to find out whether or not I'll want to make aliyah is what it is how it's called in in
the Jewish community to make aliyah to go up to the land of Israel permanently or not
but I will be living there for at least a year sounds good yeah overall would you recommend
studying abroad to other students looking to expand their cultural awareness yes yes
absolutely I realized once I got there how little I knew about myself as an American
citizen and how much I knew about myself as a Jew and I I've always prided myself on
being educated when I believe in something when I'm passionate about something I educate
myself so that I can in turn educate others who may come to me with questions and with
that being said I realized how little education I really had like I've grown up in Torah school
my entire life I've been involved in the Jewish community my entire life I've obviously I've
lived in America my entire life with the exception of those four months and I realized how little
I knew and how much I still have to learn after all that time there and I just think
it's so important that if you're going to be passionate about something you have to
know why and you have to be able to explain it you have to be able to understand it to
the best of your ability so if you're going to say I'm going to live in America for the
rest of my life why exactly why are you are you going to say that because you know everything
about they want to stay in like there because they want to stay in their bubble right their
comfort zone in their comfort zone and that makes sense who would want to step out of
their comfort zone willingly it's uncomfortable and it's scary and this is the longest I've
ever been away from my from my mom and my dogs and the most but honestly it's so beneficial
and people say that it's a life changing experience that you're going to change that when you
come home the world hasn't changed and you have and nobody's going to understand you
and it's kind of true it definitely is true it definitely is true because you now have
all of this information all of this experience that that people don't understand us they've
had the same one and I'm I'm not going to say I know everything and yeah I'm better
than you I'm like super Jew what no I mean I have a lot to learn and I'm not saying that
I don't but I do recognize how impactful all of this information that I've taken into the
last four months was and is and will continue to be throughout the rest of my life.
Well M thank you so much for joining us today to share your experiences with us we hope that
your story will inspire others to explore and celebrate their own unique cultures and
heritages as well thank you for being here thank you wow what an amazing trip now let's
head to the studio with Brooke for her very own Hendricks experience with photography
teacher William Hendricks.
Hi I'm Brooke today I will be talking with Mentura college professor William Hendricks
about photography and its relevance today good to have you here.
Thanks for inviting me.
So to start out is photography relevant.
Oh my gosh that's like the million dollar question isn't it.
I know.
You know I think there's a lot of concern right now that photography may have lost its place
in the culture but I think it's actually going through a renaissance you know everybody's
a photographer now with their phones and their DSLRs and it's very instant and but I still
think that the great images usually have to have two qualities one is it has to be aesthetically
pleasing you know it has to be something for the eyes and it has to be intellectually
compelling so something for the brain too and I think the majority of the photographs
out there don't quite fit that so when you understand those those dimensions of what
makes a great image I think it's helpful and I think those people will really have a place
in the future in image making.
Yeah you have to filter out the images because there's so many small cameras out there.
Yeah absolutely.
How long have you been in photography in the photography industry and what is your main
focus.
Oh great well the focus has changed a lot but I think I started 48 years ago something
like that and I really got interested when I think I was in college I went to school
in Santa Barbara with the Brooks Institute graduated worked in Hollywood for a while
came back to get a master's opened my own studio so all that those times were mostly
advertising which I found extremely cold but very lucrative so I decided I had to change
so Ventura College invited me to teach there and so I applied and they hired me 27 years
ago which is really kind of shocking because I never thought I could hold a job for more
than five so this is kind of a big deal.
And then I got to change my emphasis I became a fine art photographer now I'm a travel photographer
I teach a lot of courses overseas and do that kind of thing.
So do you think like teaching was your step in making your photography more visible and
more out there.
God that's a great question I mean nobody's ever asked that.
I think it shaped who I was as a human being and who I was as a human being is always shaped
my photographs you know because when you're constantly worried about the bottom line or
making enough money because you have the studio overhead that's all you think about but without
that now I can think about the quality of the image and how it's impactful and who's
going to see it and all those things that were really soulful part of it.
Especially because your job is so stable 27 years.
For the most part yeah.
So why did you decide to become a teacher because you wanted that promotion in your like in
your work.
You know I became a teacher for a lot of reasons but the main was I think was to just try and
make some sort of difference.
I mean I used to shoot fax machines and soap bottles and you know every six months they
take that picture and throw it in the trash and have you make the new one and you know
it just became empty and I got some jobs working for big brothers big sisters united way and
I realized that those images could have an impact and so I started focusing on that and
now that I'm a teacher I can kind of use that and help motivate and try to inspire you know
students that come into my class.
That's awesome so I've heard that you go to the arts community in Cuba so what do you
do there and why do you go.
I've been traveling to Cuba for 23 years 24 years and it's partially because I think
it's forbidden you know from so many years you know you couldn't go to North Korea you
couldn't go to Cuba you couldn't go to Syria those places and I've always been intrigued
by those things that have been kind of you know off the radar.
Cuba is fascinating I mean Cuba has everything that I want in a space it has mystery it has
ambiguity and it has contradiction and I love that.
I mean if I go to Paris you know two or three times in a year I get bored because it's so
predictable but Havana it's always changing politically, socially, culturally it's just
like you know it's like semi-strain rocks at your head.
You'll always be able to find something new.
Always yeah and politically it's really interesting as you probably know if you follow Cuba very
much there's a lot of stuff going on there.
I think Paris has found its identity in the 20s and the 30s and I think they're really
happy with that and I don't think that's wrong at all I just think that if you want edge
you don't go to Paris you know you want beauty and you want great art and you know good Parisian
food yeah but if you want something that's edgy and surprising and full of contradiction
I don't think I've seen it in Paris you know even in the I was in the the black market
one time in Paris which is right outside the Swatmead area it's the pink line I think
and there was some edgy people there which I kind of enjoyed but you know it's it's
it's just you know it's a lot of nice shops and beautiful architecture yeah which is great
but it's not it's not edgy.
What about Italy like do you feel the same way with Italy?
You know I mean Florence is beautiful I've been to Rome I have some friends that have
a place in Tuscany so I've spent some time there too but again it's you know I don't
know I think they're they've just figured it out and they're comfortable where the Cubans
haven't figured it out yet I mean they've been controlled by the Spanish and then the
Americans and you know then the communists came in and tried to you know disrupt things
and do their thing so they're still trying to figure all this out and I find that fascinating.
For having an identity crisis.
Couple of them yeah.
So who do you take on these trips to Cuba?
You know all kinds of people I mean my eye doctor is gone I've taken a lot of students
professional photographers filmmakers this last trip we were going for the jazz festival
in December and I had Jennifer Finnegan who is like a soap opera star and she's won three
Emmys and so she was giving us soap opera tips while we were traveling around and listening
to jazz so I've had those kinds of people and I've had you know just a big smattering
of students artists and professionals.
What is the art artist community like in Cuba?
It's booming right now there's a place called fabric of the art thing in fact you probably
love this because it's a it's a great example of socialist art where they charge the artist
$2 a month to show their work in this gallery and it's a huge plant that they've cleaned
up and it was like a oil refinery plant that the government gave to these artists so these
guys go in they create this space and it costs a dollar to get in so it's affordable for artists
and it's affordable for everybody so when you get there the line usually goes out the
door down the block and around the corner.
That's amazing.
There's hundreds of people that want to go into this thing because it's the whole happening
thing it changes every month so.
So is it held year round?
Yeah yeah I mean but it's everything from performance art, video art, it's 2D, 3D, homemade
jewelry, there's corners where people just play guitar and sing to each other and spontaneous
poetry and so it's two floors and there's all kinds of activity and fashion shows it's
just kind of whatever they make up at the moment.
That's awesome.
So how has the cultural and social involvement affected the art of photography?
Oh wow I mean I think photography always kind of tags along you know I always think that
you know the culture and the political environment kind of leads the way and then we artists
you know observe it digest it and then we spit out a product whether it's a poem or
a movie or a photograph and I think photography has always been doing that.
The interesting thing now is I think photography and film are not separate anymore I mean they're
one of the same I mean if you're shooting with a DSLR these days I mean I have one
that shoots a 42 meg pixel file and a 4k video file you know so I could be making movies
and stills all at the same time.
That's awesome.
So how has the invention of the smartphone affected the photography industry?
You know I think it's kind of created I mean there's a greater sense of voyeurism now
than I think I've ever noticed and I think the people you know they want to look good
on social media and because they take pictures of themselves with their friends now everybody
seems to take pictures of them whether they want it or not.
I was walking in L.A. yesterday or last week actually and somebody shot a video of me right
outside Pershing Square in downtown L.A. and then sent it to somebody else who sent me
a note saying hey Henry I heard you were on Grand Avenue you know and I was like how did
you know this?
That's creepy.
The privacy.
Yeah no I think that's really a big issue.
Yeah.
So like do you think it's been a negative impact overall or positive?
Oh my gosh that's tricky I mean I can see both sides of that story can't you?
Yes I can't totally.
I mean I can see people being totally abused and then I can see people using this tool
to save people's lives at the same time.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So I think it's up to the person you know you really got to be smart and thoughtful.
Do you think the smartphone has like eradicated the camera?
No I don't I think they're I think they're similar in some ways but I mean if you understand
photography which you probably do I mean there's so much more control that you have
with a DSLR where you can just yeah f-stops and shutter speeds I think the smartphone
is like a sketchbook.
You know it takes pretty nice snappies but when you get serious about photography I mean
there's so much more to it than just that quick recording the moment.
And you can also adjust your settings and cameras are much more versatile in that way.
Yeah and they're getting lighter too.
You know the old days they were big and clunky and now they're pretty sleek and sweet.
Yes yes exactly.
Do you think technology has had a negative impact on the job growth in this industry?
You know I mean I think for some people yeah there was a I listened to a radio talk show
a month ago Elizabeth Stewart does a talk show and she interviews artists in Santa Barbara
and this artist or this photographer friend of mine Colin Finley came on and he was just
upset he goes you know everybody has a phone they have an app and they're taking over my
world and I think that you know when writers you know we're faced with everybody's got
a pencil oh my god everybody's gonna be a writer you know they didn't freak out.
That's a great point.
You know it's like just because they have a camera doesn't mean they're a photographer
I mean you really have to start with an idea or a concept or a point of view and frankly
most photographs I see are like you know and there's not much point of view it's just like
dude that's awesome that's sweet you know and I think photography is much more complex
than that.
Yeah exactly.
Where do you think the future of photography is?
I think it's gonna get smaller and faster you know I just see that because I think batteries
are an issue and they're gonna get better.
Batteries are you know becoming cheaper and faster and you know more gigabytes.
Yeah yeah so I just think it's gonna be faster I think that you know we're gonna have glasses
that are gonna be cameras pretty soon as you probably know Google's already done that.
So I think those are probably not the greatest.
Yeah it's like the first attempt but you know it'll happen it'll probably happen yeah.
What advice would you give to those interested in pursuing photography in this day and age?
You know you gotta go get experiences you know if you're keep reading the same blogs
or the same books or watching the TV same TV shows stop it go and watch new TV shows
go talk to strangers go gather as many experiences as you possibly can because you'll go in your
brain and pull that stuff out and use that in making your photographs and in fact I even
give a lecture on the importance of talking to people in elevators you know it's like
that's such a taboo right.
Elevator conversations.
Yeah it's like everybody gets in there like oh my god I can't talk to you.
I'm so claustrophobic.
Yeah but you're like hey nice belt I love those shoes you know and then there's a way
that you know you can kind of break the ice with people and then you gather more information
you know people are so plugged into the same stuff I think and that's I think that's detriment
you know to creativity and to image making.
That's all the time we have thank you for being here and for giving us insight into
the art of photography.
It's been fun thank you.
Thank you.
So photography has a future after all well that's all for this episode of ECTV we'll
see you next time.
