Gulfography.com – Middle Eastern Women’s Photography

                   “Power Eyes” by Amina Taher FB  “My photo represents me. Green is my favorite color and that’s why I’ve hid myself in it. Red to me is a power color and I feel that my eyes hold a lot of my power. Some people have even told me that looking into my eyes guides them to know something that they were trying to understand.” Amina Taher

Gulfography.com is “the new online gallery of work by women photographers from the Middle East’s Gulf region, women who have overcome rather extreme challenges to become artists. (Certainly Western artists struggle to make a living too, yet these women have needed to prove themselves on a number of levels.)  It’s our hope that the work on Gulfography, and the artists themselves, can open minds and bridge cultural gaps particularly when it comes to the lives of women.” 

Here’s another photo (of many) that I like:

 This one is titled “Out” and was captured by Azza Al Owais.  Description: Exploring the strength of women and their simultaneous instinct to hold back other women who confidently stand out.”

I highly recommend a visit to http://www.gulfography.comfor more information or to view/purchase images.  Prices begin around $150.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Movement

Movement.  Another great prompt from Sara Rosso on the daily post: “Movement.  How do you show movement in your photos? This photo choice is a very deliberate show of movement through the camera lens and the blurring lights, but how else can you show movement of objects, or of the action that’s happening in your picture?

Plenty of movement going on in this pic from the 2012 Good Friday service in the PCO (Protestant Church in Oman)-from the flag waving, to the dancing ministry in the front and dozens of people jumping around and singing! 

                                           For some people, the word “movement” conveys scenes of people or objects in motion.  For me, I like to think of the deeper spiritual application in seeing what we Christians sometimes refer to as “a movement of God” (or revival) seen through the actions of the church and dynamic preaching of God’s Word.  I love trying to capture the movement of our 3 beloved pastors as they passionately convey God’s heart to the people week after week.

PCO Pastor, Michael Peppin, during his sermon, “Today in Paradise“.

Reverend Peppin trying to get the message across in his sermon “That Wonderful Plan of God“.

The current lead pastor (one year rotation), Pastor Barry Dawson (RCA) during his sermon “Another Word for Love” (which was found to be “self-giving” or “sacrifice”)

Pastor Barry getting deep into the message during his Epiphany sermon titled “Going into the Future on a Road Less Traveled“.  The movement of his hands is so fast, it looks like he’s got about 10 fingers on that one hand!  🙂

The newest addition to the pastoral staff at the PCO, Pastor Chris Howitz, in action during his sermon “A Cross Shaped Dwelling“.

This last pic was taken during one of the closing songs.  I don’t normally take photos of lyrics on slides but I thought it nicely captures the pinnacle of “the movement of God in human history”.

This hymn is known as the love song of the 1904 Welsh “Revival” (or movement of God).                                                        “Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue.” (Plato)