What's the best way for Israeli teens to see their country's vast landscapes? Pack a camera in their backpack, hit the road, and focus on the Land of Milk and Honey through a lens. Whether chasing a rare bird up an Ein Gedi canyon or hovering over a motionless bee in the Arava, Israeli teens find landscape photography not only challenging, but a unique way to appreciate Eretz Yisrael.

Raviv Finer, 14, of Jerusalem, combined two bar mitzvah gifts- a bike and a camera- to launch his new hobby. "I used to come home from bike trips and say, 'You should've seen all the beautiful things I saw.' So I started taking my camera."

Frustrated with photographing people whose eyes were closed or who weren't smiling, Raviv dedicated himself to landscape photography. "The landscape is always smiling," says Raviv, whose favorite scenic spot is Ein Gedi, known for its wildlife, canyons, lush greenery, and beautiful waterfalls.

He enjoys photographing the wide array of birds migrating across Israel. "You have to be patient because sometimes what you're photographing runs or flies away. I was trying to photograph a type of rare bird in Ein Gedi. There were two of them, and I didn't have a long enough zoom lens. One kept flying around, but I waited for ten minutes and finally got the picture."

His hobby also makes the Biblical texts he studies come alive. For example, in the Book of Joshua, two Israelite spies flee into the Judean Desert and hide from their pursuers in the mountains near the Jordan River. "When you photograph the mountains, you can see how easily it could have happened that way," says Raviv.

Rachel Kowalsky, 17, of Efrat inherited the photography bug from her mom. Taking her camera on hikes with her youth group "makes the experience more meaningful," says Rachel. As she carefully focuses her lens on the landscape- capturing just the image she wants- she becomes one with the land. "The photograph becomes personal and strengthens my ties to the land."

She also loves that photography allows her to preserve her memories. One of her favorite outings was to the Beit She'an Valley and the nearby Ein Muda spring and fish ponds. "It was a beautiful morning with a rainbow, and everything was perfect," Rachel recalls. "Photographing it allowed me to keep that wonderful day and place."

Neil Friedlander's favorite spot for snapping pictures is just up the street from his home in Jerusalem- an inspiring park called Moon Grove, where the beauty of the changing seasons hooked him on landscape photography several years ago. Now, he can't get enough of his hobby. "I sometimes wish I could insert a camera in my eye," says the 14-year-old.

Like Rachel, Neil loves that photography allows him to capture on film forever the beauty of a fleeting moment. "It's a beautiful country," he says. "When you photograph these diverse moments and places, you can bring the beauty of all of Israel home with you."

The emergence of new technology- including digital cameras- combined with the age-old beauty and diversity of Israel's landscapes makes photography an increasingly popular hobby for Israeli teens. Adventurous teens don't even mind the occasional bee sting or bruise if it means they get to capture on film their favorite places in Israel. As Neil says, heading out to his next photo shoot, "I can take a picture of the smallest thing- like a colorful patch of cyclamen flowers blossoming near an archaeological site- or something much bigger- like the enormous hills that surround you in the Judean Desert- and they both show the power of Eretz Yisrael."

Take your best shot

Neil Friedlander offers these tips for capturing landscapes on film.

• Pay close attention to what will appear in the picture—make sure nothing blocks your main subject.
• Always look for a new perspective. For example, arrive early in the morning at a site when the rising sun casts a special glow.
• Experiment with different types of lenses and films to get different results.
• When photographing an animal, do some research to discover when it’s most active—and photogenic. Stay a safe distance from dangerous animals.
• Don’t be afraid to take your camera everywhere; otherwise, you might miss some good shots.