About
Doron Altaratz is a researcher and educator who specializes in visually documenting cultural heritage through advanced computational methods. His academic research examines how computational images reshape perception, mediation, and our relationship to places and the past, and his creative practice explores the same questions through interactive installations and photographic projects. He works with museums, heritage authorities, universities and European research partners on sites from Jerusalem to Cyprus.
Director, Department of Photographic Communications
Associate Researcher, Cities and Territories
PhD in Communications
What I do
Documentation and reality capture
Scientifically precise, non-destructive 3D documentation of sites, monuments, and artifacts, using photogrammetry, RTI, gigapixel imaging, and Gaussian Splatting. I capture at sub-millimeter detail and deliver data ready for archives, research, and public presentation.
Selected work
Recent fieldwork includes the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, where I combined RTI and photogrammetry to document the pilgrims’ crosses incised on its walls, and churches and monasteries in Cyprus, including a UNESCO-listed painted church in the Troodos Mountains, where I document historic graffiti and build virtual tours.
Research behind the practice
My practice grows out of research on computational photography, heritage imaging, and visual culture, published in journals including New Media & Society, Philosophy of Photography, and Sustainability. I hold a PhD in Communications from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and have taught photography and digital media at university level for more than twenty years. Today I direct the Department of Photographic Communication at Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College.
Research collaboration and project inquiries
I welcome inquiries from museums, heritage authorities, universities, and research consortia about documentation projects, joint research, and training. I would be glad to learn about your work and to explore how we might collaborate.