Jock Fistick Photography | Miami | Tampa | Orlando

A selection of images documenting the on-going conflict in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip from 2000-2006. In October 2000, the Palestinians started their second Intifada, or uprising, against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It was another pivotal event in the string of incidents characterizing the modern history of the two peoples, which started with the Zionist movement of the late 1800s. Yet, each sides claim to the land is much older, dating back to Biblical times. Now many Palestinians are as the Jews were until the creation of Israel in 1948: people without a nation of their own. The Palestinians want their own independent homeland; and the Israelis believe they are fighting for their survival. While leaders from both sides try to work towards a peaceful compromise, the passions, struggles and bloodshed on the front lines continue. (Photos © Jock Fistick) Professional photographer Jock Fistick documented the on-going conflict in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip from 2000-2005. He is currently based in South Florida, where he provides Corporate, Industrial, Editorial & Portrait photography services to an international clientele.

Photographed for Paris Match Belgium / © Jock Fistick Knokke is Belgium's version of the Hamptons, an exclusive community on the North Sea, where the well-heeled come to play and be seen. This photo story was commissioned by Paris Match Belgium with 18 images being published across 12 pages. In 2005 professional photographer Jock Fistick was approached by Paris Match Belgium to document daily life in the seaside community of Knokke, Belgium. The magazine felt that an outsider would have a fresh eye and an untainted perspective. Currently based in South Florida, Fistick provides Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and beyond.

Refugees: Desperate for a Better Life As the European Union wrestles with the growing pains of expansion and struggles to ratify its first constitution, the EU has yet to formalize a unified policy on immigration and many countries are taking draconian steps to stem the flow of illegal immigrants crossing their borders. Recently the French and British governments agreed to close the Sangatte refugee camp near Calais, France at the entrance of the tunnel that runs underneath the English Channel. The closing of the camp forced hundreds of refugees into the street where they where subjected to sub-freezing temperatures and the wrath of local police. In Belgium, asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, and the Congo, have been denied political asylum by the government which claimed their plight was economic rather than political. Yet, many of these families fear for their lives if forced to return to their home countries. Whatever their specific situations, refugees endure living in deplorable conditions and resort to desperate measures as they search for a better life. (Photos © Jock Fistick) Professional photographer Jock Fistick documented the plight of refugees in France and Belgium from 2001 to 2005. After living and working in Europe for almost 15 years, Fistick is currently based in South Florida and provides Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services worldwide.

Cap Haitien is a town on Haiti's northern coast with a population of about 250,000. Most of the residents of Cap Haitien live in poverty, and struggle through life without adequate food, medical care, electricity or indoor plumbing. Before traveling to Haiti - Jock Fistick's first experience witnessing abject poverty was in Calcutta, India. That experience helped prepare him for what he encountered in Haiti - as people struggled to survive in deplorable conditions. Jock Fistick is a professional photographer currently based in South Florida, and services an international clientele. He specializes in on-location photography and provides Commercial, Editorial, Corporate, Industrial and Portrait photography services in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Saint Petersburg and throughout Florida.

The German cargo ship "Heinrich Behrmann", was beached by heavy seas after losing power to the main engine at Blankenberge, Belgium. (Photos © Jock Fistick) Professional photographer Jock Fistick, based in South Florida, provides photography services throughout Florida, the United States and Europe. Fistick specializes in on-location Editorial, Industrial, Corporate, Commercial and Portrait photography.

The Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier is the Netherlands main defense against flood waters from the North Sea. The Netherlands, situated on the North Sea at the delta of three major rivers, the Rhine, the Mass and the Scheldt, is a country wrested from the sea. After a series of major floods, the last occurring in 1953, the Dutch government implemented the Delta Project. This ambitious hydraulic engineering project which spanned 15 years, closed off the the main tidal estuaries and inlets in the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with the exception of those giving access to the Ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. To add some perspective, the storm surge that caused the 1953 flood, would not even reach the caution level on the current storm surge barrier. Jock Fistick is a professional photographer based in South Florida, providing Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and beyond.

The Democratic Republic of Congo / Photos © Jock Fistick Jock Fistick is a professional photographer based in South Florida, providing Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and beyond.

Photographed for Wired.com / © Jock Fistick Jock Fistick is a professional photographer based in South Florida, providing Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services in Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, St. Petersburg and beyond. ROTTERDAM, Netherlands - Along the scenic shores of Kralingse Bos, a man-made lake in Rotterdam, sit two antique windmills, De Ster and De Lelie. And after almost 300 years, they are still used for their original purpose, to mill spices and grind tobacco leaves into nasal snuff. The two windmills, which were originally built in the 1700's, were destroyed by fire in the 1960's, but were later restored to their original condition in an effort to maintain the historical heritage of the area. And due to the public awareness of health issues related to smoking, the demand for smokeless tobacco, such as snuff, is on the rise - so the old mills are kept grinding away. Nasal snuff is made from dried tobacco leaves which are first "sauced" or marinated in a secret recipe of sweeteners and natural aromatic oils, then allowed to cure for up to a year. Popular flavors of nasal snuff include peppermint, menthol, anise, chocolate and coffee, as well as many fruit and floral scents. The sauced tobacco leaves are rolled in a piece of linen cloth and wrapped with a cord, which is called a "carrot". Each carrot weighs about 2.5 to 3 kg. The carrots are stored for about a month at which point the linen cloth and cord are changed for fresh ones and then are allowed to ferment for up to a year. Finally, the cured tobacco is chopped up and then ground into nasal snuff.

Mississippi's last abortion clinic. Photographed for Der Spiegel.

Photographed for the New York Times / © Jock Fistick Every year in the Flemish village of Geraardsbergen, residents gather for the spring festival "Krakelingenfeesten", (Krakelingen festival) which combines a surreal combination of Pagan and Christian rituals. The towns people parade to the highest point in the village, where "worthies", including a Catholic priest, drink live fish swimming in wine, from a grail served by elders dressed as Druids. The "worthies" then throw biscuits to the crowd. The drinking of the live fish has become a controversial issue, with animal rights activists lobbying to have the traditional practice banned. Working for the New York Times always provides for interesting assignments - and covering the Krakelingen festival was no exception. South Florida based professional photographer Jock Fistick, provides Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services worldwide.

St. Joseph Hospice and Orphanage in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was started by Father Francis O'Leary, an Irish missionary, in 1964. Franciscan nuns of the Missionaries of Mary, run the hospice and have a fully trained staff of 26 Pakistani nurses aides and volunteer doctors. The hospice, orphanage and free clinic has 60 beds for resident patients and treats 80-90 out patients daily. St. Joseph's is supported solely by donations. (Photos © Jock Fistick) Jock Fistick is a professional photographer based in South Florida, providing Editorial, Corporate, Commercial, Industrial & Portrait photography services to an international clientele. His clients appreciate his unique style, and ability to consistently capture bold, graphic images in both natural and created light.

Brasserie Cantillon is a working brewery and museum of Belgian beer history. Cantillon specialises in a unique, wine-like style of beer called Lambic in its most elemental form, and Gueze when it’s blended. The sour beer gets its funky, acidic bite from a spontaneous fermentation process and long aging that inoculates the wort, or pre-beer, with bacteria and yeast naturally available in the air. Variations include batches aged with cherries (Kriek), raspberries (Rose de Gambrinus), and apricots (Fou’Foune), all produced organically and all 100 percent Lambic. A great place to sample some of Belgium's finest brews is at the 't Brugs Beertje, owned and operated by Daisy Claeys, and is considered by many beer aficionados as one of the best beer houses in Europe. “If you are European, you cannot call yourself a well-travelled beer lover unless you have drunk at Daisy’s,” writes British beer journalist Tim Webb in his essential traveler’s tome, The Good Beer Guide to Belgium. (Photos © Jock Fistick) Jock Fistick, is a professional photographer based in South Florida. Fistick provides photography services throughout Florida, the United States and Europe, and specializes in on-location Editorial, Travel, Industrial, Corporate, Commercial and Portrait photography.