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flowsnow | all galleries >> Galleries >> My Photo Journal Blog: My Photo Journey > Burning Of Incense
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Burning Of Incense

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Nowadays when I go to temples, be it Buddhist or even a Hindu temple not for worship purposes but to capture images of people praying, the sculptor carvings of the Gods or even the burning of incense sticks. This image reminded me of Phil Douglis' shot - Chanting, Longshan Temple, Taipei, Taiwan, 2006 . His emphasise on the image was not so much of the person holding the incense sticks but the declaration of human values ie. faith and fevor. As I reflect again on this shot taken last weekend, I realised that it's more than a shot of a person holdling burning incense sticks, it's the act and motive behind it.


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Martha Albuquerque24-May-2007 00:39
...nice capture :)) v
Nestor Derkach23-May-2007 10:56
Interesting image and wonderful capture of soft light !! Vote
edwina beaumont23-May-2007 08:39
fascinating insight into another culture
12323-May-2007 07:48
Cool ceremony!
QUERIDO23-May-2007 06:02
Beautiful shot,vote
Char23-May-2007 04:10
Hi Tricia,
This is a wonderful capture! Very moving. \/
flowsnow23-May-2007 00:57
Wei,
I am not sure what they were thinking about. But it looks like `faith' of some sort esp the man holding the incense sticks. His thoughts are deep, probably also concerntrating to see if all the sticks were burning. I am glad that many have come to engage to pause and think a little longer to see an image for what it could be and sharing your thoughts about it.
flowsnow23-May-2007 00:54
Phil,
You are very observant in regards to this picture. It never occured to me that it might look like a `wound'. Ah..yes again it was in a spur of a moment shooting `candids' in a temple ground where people are praying and holding a 18-200VR lens, it can be quite uncomfortable to hang around too long. And yes I will give it another thought next time I were to shoot an image like this to watch for that incense stick.
Wei O'Connell23-May-2007 00:12
What are they thinking about? I am always wondering when I see people are burning incenses in a temple. Great shot!
Rich Westfall22-May-2007 23:50
Great capture, Flowsnow.
Cindi Smith22-May-2007 23:16
I love it and the explanation behind it! I'm understanding more and more of these faiths. V
CM Kwan22-May-2007 22:28
I really like the facial expression of the young man. It seems he has so many things to pray for. V
Phil Douglis22-May-2007 22:14
Beautifully said, Tricia. There is a sense of tenderness in the gestures and body language here. A tip for you: take care to watch for accidental "mergers" that disrupt the flow of an image. In this case, the red ends of the incense sticks are covering the lower half of the woman's face, making it seem like a wound. If you had waited until he lowered the sticks, or moved slightly, that merger might have vanished. Mergers aside, your commentary is eloquent-- you right about the image going beyond description and expressing a larger truth. This image is about an act of faith, and faith is a human value. Thank you for linking my own image to this one. When I first saw the picture, before seeing your link, my thoughts, too, went to that image I made of the chanting man in Taipei's Longshan Temple.
Rosi Blaurock22-May-2007 21:47
Nice shot.
akleja22-May-2007 18:57
Wonderful! V
Terri Steele22-May-2007 18:56
An emotion charged photo... well done ;)
marie-jose wolff22-May-2007 18:50
beautiful ritual!
well captured.
Latifa Messaoudi22-May-2007 18:45
great atmosphere , i can feel it*
Liz Bickel22-May-2007 17:34
Very nice capture of the ritual.
Bryan Murahashi22-May-2007 15:01
Very nicely captured.
CIS22-May-2007 14:20
The shot conveys so much to the viewer, like being in the moment with them.
Raymond22-May-2007 14:19
We can feel the people's devotion, believes and hopes in this image. It tells a story... something is happening. Very beautiful Tricia.
Dr. Michael G. Mathews22-May-2007 13:38
Great shot of the ritual.
Vince22-May-2007 12:41
You have captured the ambience very well. Vote.
Guest 22-May-2007 12:32
beautiful thoughts and done Tric.
Katie Chew22-May-2007 12:27
Very nice image
Emmanuel Panagiotakis22-May-2007 12:11
Great composition and capture my friend
Guest 22-May-2007 12:09
What a thing to see! V
Andrew Vincent22-May-2007 10:41
A lovely scene, I think it is quite comforting to see people take part in ritual. Vote!
Dan Ng22-May-2007 08:45
That's a nice thought and image, Tricia. I burned some incense at the parents grave on Mother's Day. V.
Paco López22-May-2007 08:36
I love this image, Tricia!!!! Is very good and beautiful. Very Big Vote!!!!!!!!