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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Seven: Expressions of Faith > Prayer to the sea, Cochin, India, 2008
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04-APR-2008

Prayer to the sea, Cochin, India, 2008

The young women in this picture had been standing in the surf. Soaked to the hips, they emerged from the sea and climbed on to the seawall. Suddenly one of them clasped her hands together, looked into the sky, and began to pray. The pale horizon of the Arabian Sea stretches those prayers towards infinity. The contrast between the body language of the women is quite expressive as well. One of them places her hands on her hips, waiting patiently for the other woman to finish her prayer. It does not matter if those prayers are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Jewish – the people of Cochin have tolerated all of them over the centuries. In the end, the expression of faith remains a private matter – to each his own. And that is the ultimate point of this image.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/400s f/5.6 at 35.6mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis25-Apr-2008 19:29
Yes, I was removed. They never saw me make this image. (I walked that sea wall later, and found these same young women making photographs of the Arabian Sea.)
JSWaters25-Apr-2008 06:18
A beautiful image of faith and nature. This is one where you were truly removed.
Jenene
Phil Douglis23-Apr-2008 17:23
Thank you, Vera, for making this point. Spirituality comes from the soul, not from the temple. The vast sea and sky provide a natural arena for such expression here.
Guest 23-Apr-2008 01:10
What a perfect way to end your gallery. A simple picture with no religious artifacts...simply the hands demonstrating that prayer and spirituality don't require elaborate temples. Perhaps mother nature provides us with the best temple of all.
Phil Douglis19-Apr-2008 23:41
I was very thankful for this opportunity, just as she appears to be thankful for the blessings of life itself. I try to say thanks, in my own way, in every picture I make. Minor White talked of photography's gifts to us, and DeWitt is speaking in the same vein. Take nothing for granted. Rather take whatever comes and make the best of it we can, and then count our blessings.
Tim May19-Apr-2008 19:37
One of the things that Dewitt Jones speaks about is remembering to say, "Thank you," for the glories we photograph. This image seems to me to be in the spirit of that thankfulness.
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