Spencer Tunick plans nude photo in Israel

An artist famous for photographing large crowds in the nude is hoping to take his show to a new low - the Dead Sea.

Spencer Tunick wants to stage the unusual event there to draw attention to the environmental threat of receding waters.

Mr Tunick, who is Jewish and whose father and grandmother live in Israel, originally applied in March for permission to shoot at the Tel Aviv port.

The proposal sparked both excitement and anger among politicians and religious groups. But with costs of using Tel Aviv as a backdrop set to rise to £450,000, Mr Tunick decided against it.