Southern Exposure: Highlighting the work of photographers from the Majority World - Brief Article

New Internationalist, Jan-Feb, 2002 by Javad Montazeri

IT was the morning of the Fetr holiday--the end of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to dusk for a month and the days are considered glorious and celebrated.

People go to mosques at sunrise. I decided to go to Mossalla, where people gather for prayers. It was still dark when I got there. The enormous masque was still under construction -- the site provided a far-reaching horizon, which helped the image.

I wanted to photograph the magnificence of the moment and felt I needed height. I found a container behind the crowd. As I climbed it I shot a whole roll using various frames and lenses. The prayer took half an hour, giving me enough time to compose my shots -- this is my favourite. I find in it a sense of devotion, a certain rhythm in the way the devotees face the Lord. I don't think it would have worked had I taken the photograph from the front.

Documentary or journalistic photography cannot ignore these aesthetic aspects -- good pictures can come from our knowledge of our universe, religion, humanity and through our past life.