Snapping in the wind

Tamar came across a Polish photographer named Magda in Las Palmas, and suggested we take some family photos (something we do about once per decade.) What with Levana's arrival, our upcoming departure from the island, it seemed like the perfect time. Magda met us at Playa Confital, a rocky, secluded beach north of town, and she turned out to be a charming, enthusiastic and ultra-positive photographer.

Magda suggested we just walk around and enjoy ourselves, so she could snap some photos that were natural, rather than posed. "Don't smile! Don't look at me!" she urged. So we roamed around the rocky shoals, found hermit crabs, Tova ran around. Tamar and the girls had all worn their hair down, but in the gale-force winds they were soon wearing their hair in all directions. Zadie had a killer poker face on, staring into the middle distance, and we were worried she wasn't enjoying herself - but later we found out she was just diligently following Magda's instructions about not smiling or looking at the camera. And Jakob had a pretty bad head cold, and Levy was a bit small for an oceanside adventure ... yet we all really enjoyed ourselves for an hour and it was a great experience.

The photos turned out great - here are a few of them - and led to conversations about what makes a good photographer, and which of us would make good photographers. We ended up sharing origami creations with Magda's two sons, she gifted us a few bonus photos ... all in all, we came away feeling like we'd made a new friend and some new memories too.