THE PENITENT
Lalibela, Ethiopia 2013
After threading our way up the hill, through the crowds, over the stone ‘bridge’, we entered the doorway to where mass was being said. We climbed down the rough hewn stairs and pushed through the people who were praying. All faced the priest who seemed to be giving out communion or maybe hearing confessions. I don’t know. But people approached him as the man to the left of center is doing.
When I’m photographing I feel as if there is a glass wall between me and my subject. I have a sense that things are happening, but I can’t give them my full attention. I’m thinking of my shot. Sometimes when I get home and look at my pix, I’m surprised at what I witnessed.
Notice that many of the men in the photo have a wooden staff. I called them ‘prayer sticks’ and I so wish I could have bought one and brought it home as a memento of that day in Lalibela. Mass in the Coptic church lasts for hours and the prayer sticks are used to support the weight of a person who must stand all that time.
Sunlight entered the church from a door opposite from the one we had entered. It highlighted the white shawls of the people and garments of the priest. I used my wide angle lens and tried for a panoramic view. Luckily, I caught some beautiful expressions on some of the faces, particularly the man who is looking at the priest. His knee is bent as if he were going to kneel for a blessing. Again, I’m not sure. But he looks like a penitent whether he is or not.
I want to say a special thank you to Osman Ahmed at Sora Tours who is my fact checker for my photos of Ethiopia. If you want to visit these historic stone churches, you can’t do better than to contact Osman at www.soratours.com