Dr. Doron Altretz

director of the HAC Photographic Communication program

Dr. Doron Altretz is the director of the HAC Photographic Communication program. He graduated from the Bezalel Department of Photography, has a master's degree from New York University's interactive media program, and has a doctorate from the Department of Communication at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Doron is an academic researcher with a practical background in the creative industries. His research interests include media critique, computational imaging practices, and documentation in the service of cultural heritage.

Doron's creative work encompasses a range of media, including computational photography, interactive installations, physical computing, and mixed reality. He examines the cultural and social impacts of computational systems on the creation and viewing of computational photography.

Doron is involved in academic research across a wide range of areas, with a focus on two central points: critical and practical. In theoretical-critical writing, Doron investigates the influence of "smart" human-computer interfaces (HCI) on photographic creative processes. In practical research, Doron explores various advanced imaging technologies in cultural heritage contexts. Additionally, Doron is a visual artist working in photography and new media. In his artistic practice, Doron combines photographic raw materials from divarse sources with code-based interactive applications. He also examines the impact of new technologies on the history of photography and visual language, utilizing innovative photographic technologies to produce three-dimensional models based on photography.

Academic Publications

Trentin, MG. Altaratz, D. Caine, M. Re’em, A. Tinazzo, A. Gasanova, S. (2023). Historic Graffiti as a Visual Medium for the Sustainable Development of the Underground Built Heritage. Sustainability. ; 15(15):11697. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/15/11697

Altaratz, D. (2023). The Human Tripod: Computational Photography, Automated Processes, and Professional Identity. photographies, 16:2, 291-311, 2023. Open Access Link

Re’em A., Caine M., Altaratz D. and Tchekhanovets Y. (2022) Historical Archaeology of Medieval Pilgrimage: Dating the “Walls of the Crosses” in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel of St. Helena. In New Studies in the Archaeology of Jerusalem and Its Region, Volume 15. Open Access Link

Altaratz, D., Frosh, P. (2021). Sentient Photography: Image-Production and the Smartphone Camera,. photographies, 14:2, 243-264, 2021. Open Access Link

Caine, M., Altaratz, D., Mann, E., & Havkin, A. (2020). The Spirit of the Cloud: The ‘New Jerusalem’ as a metaphor for social experiences of virtual technologies. Proceedings of EVA London 2020 30, 58-65. Open Access Link

Caine, M., Altaratz, D., Maggen M. (2019). Combining RTI & SFM. A Multi-Faceted approach to Inscription Analysis. Proceedings of the Electronic Visualisation and the Arts, Florence (EVA 2019) Conference (pp. 97-104). Firenze University Press. Open Access Link

Caine, M., Altaratz, D., MacDonald, L.,Reem, A. (2018). The Riddle of the Crosses – The Crusaders in the Holy Sepulchre. Proceedings of the Electronic Visualisation and the Arts (EVA 2018) Conference (pp. 132-139). London, UK. Open Access Link