Photographing the precious moments of plants in full bloom is a passion of mine. After photographing many gardens, over 35 years ago I decided to search for plants blooming in their native habitats—irises, in particular. So many privileged moments captured on Kodachrome 25 film. A definite dividend of my travels was the opportunity to encounter, observe, and photograph the local people.
Reading Yehuda Amichai’s poem brought a myriad of images into my mind’s eye. People praying to the rising sun at the edge of the Ganges, in Varanasi. Men praying at the Western Wall, Jerusalem. People praying at Badrinath and Lhasa. Women gathered outside Dali to pray to Guan Yin, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Prayer is a common language, an equaliser.
I smile now when I realise that I just happened to arrive in Dali and Bodhgaya on the days of the Guan Yin Hui and Dala Chett celebrations. What a blessing.
The following pages present images of people at prayer in India, Israel, Tibet, and China.
Prayers are not just about now—they are about forever.