I have a saying that I put on my business card, “Capturing who you are not just what you look like”. Photography is much more that a photocopy of a person’s image. To capture a portrait of a person, you must see into their soul and try to bring out that beauty.
In this case I was working with a young lady who came from China to do biblical studies. After getting to know her, I cannot imagine her without her Bible and prayer. So, we took some of the usual poses, then moved on to something a little different.
Prayer is very personal so I did not know if she would feel awkward to pose in this way. But, it came about very naturally. In fact I think she may have really been praying.
I wanted the lighting to be subdued and peaceful rather than sombre. Contemplative rather than gothic. A ray of light was directed to the Bible because it is her source of light and life. I added a heavy texture to the background to indicate that while life may come from God’s Word, it has to be lived out in the grittiness of this world.
The Chinese characters are from her favorite verse, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble of calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death? ….. And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away.” (Rom 8:35 ff )
