Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision

Without the Frame

CAIRO, EGYPT. I can’t explain why, as a Christian, I feel more comfortable walking into a mosque than into most churches. Perhaps it’s the casual atmosphere or the mandated hospitality, but I think it’s something more. This was the third or fourth mosque in Islamic Cairo that I walked into quietly, though usually to the protests of the men who guard the shoes and want a little baksheesh on the way out (I keep my shoes and then place them elsewhere). Aside from the men at the door, the mosque was empty but for this man sitting in the perfect center of a sunbeam reading his Koran. I sat down quietly, crossed my legs, placed my camera in plain sight in front of me, and then watched. I’m fascinated by the search for the divine ...