Dafna Tal

Canon Ambassador Dafna Tal's greatest passion is to explore our inner thoughts and emotions.

The Israeli artist's photography and video projects have seen her observe the life of monks living in hidden desert monasteries, conduct inter-religious experiments in Jerusalem, and search for a metaphorical anchor point in the deep blue water of the Red Sea. This richness of communities, themes and environments is perfectly expressed in her imaginative, beautifully lit and detailed images and videos. "The unpredictability of human behaviour adds a dynamic and compelling dimension to my work, so that I can never anticipate its final form," explains Dafna.

In 2019, Dafna created a video installation entitled You're Gorgeous, You're Mad, where she filmed a group of international artists gathered in Virginia, USA. The final work presents an inner dialogue between two aspects of the participants' personalities (or 'self-image'): the traits they appreciate about themselves, and those they would prefer to hide.

"In my projects I try to get a better understanding of minds and feeling," Dafna says. "Using diverse approaches, in-situation experiments and defined processes, I examine different ways of connecting to my subjects' experience, and gain insight into their identity, self-reflected image, behaviour and prejudices."

Dafna's most recent project, Anchor Point, explores the idea of letting go and the transformation it brings. It was filmed underwater – an exciting new environment for the photographer and a vital part of our planet. For the series, Dafna embarked on a new beginning, moving to a different city with a new community of people involved in freediving, watersports and the conservation of marine nature.

Dafna explored other creative disciplines, including theatre, sculpture, painting and music, before finding her way to photography in 2006, when she studied at New York's International Center of Photography (ICP). She followed this with a European Diploma in Cultural Project Management from the Association Marcel Hicter.

The Israeli artist has no doubt about what the future holds. "I wish to have more and more flow in the process of transforming my project ideas to reality," she says. "I want to keep experiencing creative expression and enjoy seeing the ideas that emerge in my mind become real."

You shoot landscapes and interiors too, but what is it about portraits that inspires you?

"I love exploring and finding incredible depth in the human mind and spirit. I am interested in the emotional and mental reactions that drive human behaviour, and the relation between a person's inner world and their outer reality."


What's been your career high point so far?

"The best moments for me are always in the process of creating new work, so every new project is for me a new pick. As for the process of sharing and exhibiting my work, my highlight is certainly when I was invited to put on a solo exhibition in one of the most important museums in the world: The Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. What's more, Professor Piotrovsky, the museum's director, chose two of my artworks for the permanent collection."


What approach do you adopt when directing your subjects?

"In my artwork I try my best to connect with the real participants; to understand them and let them be."


Do you have a go-to shooting style?

"Every project has its unique visual or audio-visual language and requires specific lighting, framing, movement and sound that will best serve the theme and atmosphere. In that respect, the more one is able to use different lighting and techniques, the wider the 'colour palette' and freedom in expressing oneself."


You've exhibited across the world: what's your secret for creating a good project?

"In my projects I try to create an experience rather than a direct message, and I try to bring up thoughts and questions more than answers."

"Never give up on a project idea that burns inside you. Go for it and don't stop until you have reached the place you wanted to reach."


Instagram: @dafna_tal_studio

LinkedIn: il.linkedin.com/in/dafnatal

Websites: www.dafnatal.com