Prayer and Meditation

I really appreciate what this image tells us about prayer (and more broadly, religion): it is not something confined to houses of worship and formal institutional ritual. It intersects with everyday life and its obligations. This man found a convenient spot to pray while the city bustles on around him. I also like how the photographer used every inch of the frame here and waited for cars to fill the background.

This is such a unique photograph, and it stood out to me upon initial review of the contest submissions. It has a quiet, beautiful simplicity to it, which for me is a reminder that prayer need not always be elaborate or loud. I really love its symmetry, colors, and framing. Combined, these highlight the simple yet elegant gesture of bowing and provide a sense of intimacy.

Visually fascinating. I love the layers here and the positioning of the woman in the middle of the arches. The scene is somewhat disorienting and dizzying to look at, and I wonder where the woman is in her meditative journey.

This is such a beautiful moment. Many of the images of prayer are taken when people's heads and/or bodies are lowered, which tends to hide the emotion so often involved in acts of prayer and praise. I appreciate being able to see this here. I also like the layered approach of this photograph and how the foreground frames and informs the background.

This is such a striking example of prayer, and so different from how Islamic prayers are usually depicted. I really appreciate the aerial perspective and enjoy looking at the many different levels of people aboard the boat with their varying gestures and expressions.

The color and motion of this photograph are stunning and truly capture the energy of the whirling dervishes depicted. I also appreciate that you cannot really see the faces of the dervishes. One of the aims of whirling during dhikr, I've read, is to reach perfection by abandoning one's ego or personal desires. The dervishes' personal identities become obscured by the motion captured here.

Such beautiful light in this photograph. And way to wait for the perfect moment! The light beam selectively illuminates the monk's gesture of prayer. I also appreciate the geometry that the light beam adds to the room portrayed and the overall photograph.

I really enjoy the layers and perspective of this photograph. As in some of my other selections, I appreciate being able to see the faces of those in prayer as they revere the Guru Granth Sahib. The fan offers a nice framing device and guides the eye through the image.

This is a stunning silhouette. I did not know that such a thing as mid-air meditation existed, but this photograph captures it vividly. It evokes a sense of calm through the colors of the sunset, as well as a sense of mystery through the floating appearance of the figure.

There were a number of photographs submitted depicting Jews outside the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. This one stood out to me for its use of motion and its layering. Prayer is fully of movement and gesture, which this image illustrates well. Having Hebrew on the book in the foreground also provides nice context.

I like how this photograph visually incorporates architecture with the act of prayer. The structure of houses of worship often guides how people pray and show reverence, and the image acknowledges this. I also appreciate the perspective, texture, and symmetry; there is something quite beautiful about the muted color palette, as well.

This image makes me smile. It's such an interesting and humorous visual juxtaposition between the nuns in their habits and the Heineken beer umbrellas behind them. Again we are reminded of how religion spills outside houses of worship and and intersects with surrounding cultures and environments.

This image is a good reminder of the spaces of prayer and contemplation that exist in the public sphere, and that are so connected to public and civic life. It's quite powerful to see the figure isolated amidst the endless rows of white headstones.

This photo nicely illustrates an intersection of prayer and culture. It also captures prayer/meditation in a space where we're accustomed to seeing it, but that we might not typically consider "religious." I appreciate the layers involved here, which draw attention to the football players' arms and the connectedness of the group.