The Accidental Adventure Photographer

By Jenn Gidman
Images by Meaghan Aldridge

Meaghan Aldridge’s Tamron 35mm F1.4 prime is her constant companion as she explores the breathtaking landscapes of Israel.

Meaghan Aldridge’s photographic journey began during the film era, and she’s since dabbled in everything from studio and commercial work to children’s portraits. “Around 2010, I moved back to my hometown of Saratoga Springs, New York, and opened up a wedding photography business,” she says. “Then I met my husband, had two kids, and moved to Israel about two and a half years ago after my husband was presented with a work opportunity.”

Through the landscape photos she shot in Israel, that’s when she became, as she calls herself, an “accidental adventure photographer,” exploring Israel’s jaw-dropping landscapes with her 4-year-old and 8-year-old. “I don’t speak Hebrew, and I don’t have my work visa in Israel, so I couldn’t run my wedding photography business there,” says Meaghan, whose family has temporarily moved back to the States in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel. “My kids and I started doing a lot of hiking and exploring, and I would always bring my camera along, so I started finding opportunities to explore more personal projects out in nature.”

35mm, F/8, 1/400 sec., ISO 100

This new, nomadic form of photography with kids in tow also meant Meaghan tried to keep her gear bag light. “When we first arrived in Israel, I didn’t have a camera bag,” she says. “I would research locations to explore and say, based on what we were going to see: ‘OK, what one lens am I going to bring today?’”

One of the lenses that has become Meaghan’s go-to is the Tamron 35mm F/1.4 Di USD prime lens. “There are so many wide-open spaces in Israel, and as an adventure photographer, having a wider-angle lens has been ideal for capturing those kinds of landscape photos—it’s not too wide, but just wide enough to capture what I need to,” she says. “I can get claustrophic, but my kids also love to inspect Israel’s caves, so the wide angle also works great in such close quarters, and the F1.4 aperture ensures I can capture photos in such low light, as well as achieve separation between my subject and their backgrounds.”

MEAGHAN’S QUICK TIPS

Create a “frame-within-a-frame” photo.
You’d be surprised how much natural framing you can find outdoors. One of the most fascinating places to visit in Israel is the Negev Desert, which includes rare desert animals, stunning geological features, and the ruins of multiple UNESCO World Heritage sites. I was visiting Shivta, an ancient city south of the town of Beersheba, when I took this photo of one of the structures there. It was midday, and I was somewhat limited in what direction I could shoot: as an adventure photographer, I know that if I turned a certain way, the sun was so bright that my photos were getting blown out. Then I pivoted and saw I could capture this image through one of the doorways. Sometimes when taking landscape photos, shadows from such bright sun can be distracting, but they work here.

35mm, F/9, 1/400 sec., ISO 100

Use a polarizer.
When I first arrived in Israel and started taking photos, I didn’t use a polarizer. I soon realized how beneficial such a filter could be for my images. I used it for both the photo of the tree set against the dramatic cloudy sky, as well as for the image of the chalk formations, also set against an amazing cloud-and-sky backdrop. A polarizer serves to reduce reflections and glare, improve contrast, and enhance colors in your landscape photos, as well as help cut down on post-processing time.

35mm, F6.3, 1/250 sec., ISO 100

35mm, F7.1, 1/400 sec., ISO 200

Always keep your eyes open for the unexpected.
I was exploring a reserve that houses columbaria, cave structures with openings on the top that were used to raise doves in ancient times. It’s one of our favorite places to visit. Some of the caves we encountered were natural rock formations, others were built by humans. I was in one of the caves with my camera when I saw a local shepherd walk by outside with his flock of goats. I stopped what I was doing, set up my camera, and turned to face the entrance—and then waited. I captured several photos of the curious goats looking into the cave at me, the person invading their space, and particularly liked this one, with a couple of goats in the center of the entranceway, along with the one on the right peering in from the side.

35mm, F3.5, 1/2000 sec., ISO 100

To see more of Meaghan Aldridge’s work, check out her website and Instagram accounts.

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