In the days of digital photography, many criticize the efforts and work of many photographers. But it can be said for Israeli photographer, Ziv Koren, that this simply is not the case for professional photographers.
Writing with Light, is currently being exhibited at Yangon’s 44th St Deitta Gallery, Koren’s work suitably sits amongst the rustic wooden setting, allowing for his work to be accentuated.
“I wanted to go back to the roots of photography and deal with the two most important aspects which are light and composition, I think that I would like my audience to understand,” Koren told Mizzima.
As he sought to emphasize, “a picture cannot be made without light but the light as an added value can turn the image from visual content to art.”
His works are set in a variety of countries from Ethiopia to India, and Russia to Haiti, covering topics of AIDS orphans in South Africa and documenting religion. The most intrinsic thing when covering these situations is how the people take a back seat to their surroundings.
“What I had in the back of my mind is that every image should be a part of this body of work in the way that not only tells a story but has some value in the way that it’s lit,” he said. 
“If the story was not good enough or the light was not interesting enough, the picture didn’t make it to the final selection,” said Koren, speaking on the selection process for the photos in the exhibition.
Some images have the power to grasp the viewer’s attention to the calamity of some situations. In one particular photograph, a young Haitian boy stands atop the ruins of a destroyed cathedral, the singular subject amongst the ruins with the black and white filter projecting a dystopic feel.
“Obviously, there are pictures I like better than others but I try to see this project as a body of work and not just individual images. I think that as a complete project it tells more about photography than dividing frame by frame,” Koren noted when asked if he were drawn to a particular image.
The exhibition runs until January 30th, Deitta Gallery is open 10am to 5pm daily, so if you hope to catch this exhibition it would be best to do so quickly.