While most Israelis are confined to their homes due to the restrictions on movement imposed by the government to stave off the coronavirus outbreak, photographer Eitan Asraf toured the country and provided us with rare documentation of its roads, usually teeming with life, now abandoned and desolate.
"The idea just came to me,” said Asraf. “After I heard the prime minister [Benjamin Netanyau] announcing the expected curfew, we packed our stuff and drove north to Mount Hermon, and after a 48-hour photoshoot, we arrived in Israel's south-most city, Eilat.”
“At every stop, I positioned the camera in a way i liked most and asked my partner to take a picture,” explains Asraf. “These were crazy 48 hours that included chasing clouds and keeping track of the sun’s position, all just to achieve spectacular results.”
Asraf headed several high profile projects in the past, including documenting Israel’s 70th Independence Day celebrations and several BBC nature documentaries and runs two highly popular Facebook and Instagram pages.
“Once I published my photos, I received endless encouraging messages from the media, editors, advertisers, and my followers, who encourage me on a daily basis to create my art,” said Asraf.
According to Asraf, some of the messages he received were from people who he inspired to travel the country after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
“I have received a lot of responses and all of them were very moving.”
“People mostly thanked me for giving them a peek into the country from my perspective,” said Asraf. “One of the most moving responses I received was from a woman who wrote: "from every picture and from every angle, paradise is where we live. only through reflection can we see it, thank you for the chance to see".”
Asraf said his goal was simple - to show how the curfew affects Israel as a whole.
“It was meant to document such a historic event that will be remembered for generations to come.”