Four Photographers Who Capture The Spirit of Ramadan
June 15, Day 8 of Ramadan 2016.
The Holy Month of Ramadan is an inspirational time for photographers worldwide to initiate new projects. It’s also a time to reflect on past photography series that deal with Muslim ritual generally. We’d like to highlight the following four photographers who have successfully captured the life of a Muslim. From Saudi Arabia to here in Dubai, these four series have resonated most with us in the past week.
Dubai-based photographer Altamash Javed photographs Muslims in Dubai all year round. His #MasjidSeries hashtag on Instagram has already gained considerable ground, acquiring 775 photographs due to fellow Instagrammers hopping on the trend. “#MasjidSeries began to promote Islam in a good light. There was a lot of hate at the time,” explains Altamash. “It’s all about capturing the beauty in a place where Muslims pray five times a day.” Though Altamash usually shoots with Fujifilm, his #MasjidSeries is shot entirely on his iPhone 6 in order to respect worshippers.
Dubai-based Francis Karl dela Peña told us that he always looks forward to this time of year. “I’m able to visit the mosques and photograph the faithful,” he said. “Everyone is busy preparing for Iftar, it’s a collaborative effort,” says Karl. “The food is distributed evenly and for all.”
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The black-and-white photograph is taken inside a tent at Al Nasr Mosque in Dubai. Everyone waits patiently as it’s almost time to break their fast with some water and dates.
See more of Francis Karl dela Peña's work here: www.instagram.com/mactuscraig
Based in East Africa, Benj Binks ‘Zanzibar. Friday. 1pm’ series (produced with Rich Townsend) switches focus from the places of worship to the men themselves and their clothing. “Each Friday, the men and boys of Zanzibar leave their day-to-day clothes at home and instead opt to wear the traditional kanzu (robe) and kofia (hat). This weekly transformation is nowhere as obvious as in the busy laneways of Stone Town, where mosques fill up and spill onto the streets each Friday.”
See more of Benj Binks work here: www.benjbinks.com
Katarina Premfors
UAE based photographer Katarina Premfors shot this time-lapse sequence of the moon during one evening during Ramadan. Katarina’s image captures the full moon, during the middle of Ramadan.
The Islamic calendar coincides with the lunar cycle, each month beginning when the new moon (“hilal” in Arabic) is sighted. The first day of Ramadan is announced by the sighting of the first appearance of the crescent moon, an important symbol in Islam. Ramadan begins on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to honor the first revelation of the Holy Quran to the prophet Muhammad.
See more of Katarina Premfors work here: www.katarinapremfors.com
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