Montparnasse Tower, Paris

When I was sent to Paris, I never imagined it would be the beginning of a fascinating artistic journey. At that time, I was still in the high-tech industry and traveled on behalf of Tecnomatix (since acquired by Siemens) to assist with a project at the European headquarters. It was an official business trip, but for me, it turned into a unique and meaningful experience. After intensive workdays, where the office closed at 7 PM – late for the French but typical for an Israeli company – I found myself free to explore this beautiful city. Paris in June granted me daylight until 10 PM, allowing me to use every spare moment for photography and creation.

During my wanderings through the city, with Yair Garbuz as my personal guide, I began to discover the artistic potential of handcrafted panoramic photography. Each shot became an opportunity to examine and experiment with new techniques. The result was a collection of 11 films, from which I designed a massive album that almost no one agreed to view unless I threatened them. Every few years, I open it and reminisce.

They say that the writer Guy de Maupassant would go to eat breakfast every morning at the restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, despite declaring that he hated it. When asked why, he said it was the place with the best view in Paris because from there, you couldn’t see the Eiffel Tower.  They also say that others have said this about other places. I actually like the view of the Eiffel Tower. But the Montparnasse Tower, built 100 years after de Maupassant’s time, seems more fitting for this expression to me. And the best view, from which you can’t see this dull tower and can see all of Paris spread out, is from the rooftop observatory. There, I was inspired for the first time to shoot a 360-degree panorama, which I manually assembled after returning home and even framed. Along with it, I created a 360-degree panorama from the roof of the Arc de Triomphe and closed it into a circle, which I hung in the office, rotating above my head. It was a unique creation that added a personal touch and sweet memory of Paris to the office. Unfortunately, this construction disappeared during one of the job transitions, but the memories and passion for creation remained with me.

All this happened when I was newly married, just three months in. Years have passed, and I’ve already celebrated my silver wedding anniversary. The artistic journey that began as a solitary experiment in Paris has, over time, become a true passion and a developed technique. Since that first panorama, I’ve created hundreds of panoramas using this method, each telling a unique story and presenting a fascinating perspective on the world around us. It’s amazing to think how one experience can lead to an entire artistic journey that has lasted for over a quarter of a century. Panoramic photography has become a tool that allows me to share my experiences with others, bringing the beauty and excitement of my various travels into the lives of those who get to view my panoramas.