It keeps getting more an more abstract, Kal. This works the best. It is not a very fresh concept, but you have greatly simplified it by cropping, and for that reason alone, it is a worthy effort. We no longer have to struggle to read the image, and the lack of the face puts our imaginations to work. It is now a universal appeal for devotion, no longer the devotion of single person.
This version is easier to look at, however I still am drawn to all of that white which, while not as harsh as the other, is still drawing the eye to non-expressive content. I think part of the problem and key to the solution, is still vantage point -- whenever you shoot someone wearing white, you are going to have to somehow reduce the emphasis on its reflectance. This flat version helps, but does not solve the problem. By moving the camera position and thereby changing the way the light falls on the subject, you can often work around it. This image still expresses your idea, but not without a struggle.
