Haifa Through the Camera Lens

Course Taught by: Mr. Asaf Oren

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Dates: July 6-26, 2026

There will be 8 sessions over the course of 3 weeks, allowing for extended and immersive photography workshops and comprehensive practical lessons. The final works will be showcased in a respectful and professional feedback session in which students will receive constructive critique on their projects.

Academic Hours and Credits: 42 academic hours (3 credits)

Students who complete the course successfully, receive a transcript that awards them 3 credits.

About the Course:

“Haifa Through the Camera Lens” is a unique and engaging photography course designed for students who are interested in photography and wish to expand and deepen their knowledge and experience in the field, while embarking on an in-depth exploration of Haifa and its fascinating distinctive features. Known for its cultural and religious diversity, its delicate coexistence, thriving artistic scene, rich history, its nature intertwined with urbanity, and much more, this course offers practical experience in Haifa that combines professional and practical learning of still-photography fundamentals in several workshops held across the city.

Students will be introduced to the work of significant photographers and unique photography projects, with an emphasis on documentary and social photography, particularly that which has been created in Israel and Haifa. This exposure will deepen their understanding of the photography world and inspire their own creative work as the workshops expose them to the city’s unique characteristics, its history, and its current social and cultural landscape.

During the course, students will learn to operate and control their cameras fully — manually and professionally– maximizing their potential. They will study how to observe, control, and utilize light in the best possible way, focusing on the visual and emotional impact that light can bring to photographs. The importance and effect of composition in creating meaningful images will be a central concern of the course.

Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, vibrant and diverse, is home to Jews with origins from across the globe, Arab Muslims and Christians, Druze, Baháʼí, new immigrants, refugees, migrant workers, and more. This delicate and intricate balance encapsulates the complex and multifaceted narrative of Israel in general, and Haifa in particular.

The course will provide students with the opportunity to independently and objectively examine Haifa’s contemporary reality through workshops conducted in numerous locations, such as: Bat Galim – a unique seaside neighborhood undergoing gentrification, Wadi Nisnas with its churches and old stone alleyways and buildings, the beautiful German Templar Colony, and the marvelous Baháʼí Gardens stretching out above it, the colorful Talpiot Market located in the vibrant Hadar neighborhood, the Carmel Forest surrounding the city and extending into its neighborhoods, and other fascinating sites. It will allow students to experience firsthand, to observe with their own eyes, and document through their cameras, daily life in Haifa – life that is complex and nuanced, and has become even more so following October 7th and the subsequent war.

The course will include a studio visit and a session with a professional Haifa-based photographer, as well as a meeting with an expert on the history and contemporary diversity of Haifa.

Toward the end of the course, students will work on an individual photography project focused on the city of Haifa, presenting their unique personal perspective. These projects will be showcased in a professional and respectful review, at the conclusion of the course.

** Students are required to bring their own camera with them to the course.