The Altar, by Faisal Khan

It was a great experience to stay with a lovely family in their farm in India last October. They were very welcoming, caring, and warm, despite that we had no common language. My friends and I, with the mutual respect and love we established, made our stay memorable and enriching. Each one of us used to start the day with a spiritual recharge, I prayed to Allah, my friend started with Yoga, and the owners of the farm used to come and pray in this Altar. It was at the far corner in the same court which we used for sleeping. Most of us used to have a spiritual recharge close to that spot. As if it had an invisible energy pulling us towards the same source despite the difference form of prayers.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 70-300mm L IS USM | Exposure 1/40sec @ f/4.5 | ISO 200 | Focal Length 120mm
The Altar, by Faisal Khan

Award Winner: Photo of the Day | January 11
Award Score: 55 (Value 11, Clarity 11, Composition 12, Style 10, Skill 11)
Photo of the Day Award Category: Conceptual Photography
Photograph Location: Bandla, Himachal Pradesh | India

Photographer: Faisal Khan ( Casablanca, Morocco ) Registered
Faisal Khan, who was raised in Saudi Arabia, started taking photograph just a year ago. Along with travel and exploration, photography became another passion for him. It was his childhood dream to travel & live in many countries. Once he graduated with chemical engineering, he had the opportunity to work for long stints in many locations and have traveled around 30 countries. It was a great door for him to have in-depth contact with his religions, cultures, and lifestyles. At the same time this privilege to establish some strong relationships with friends around the world.

Back in 2003, Faisal has embarked on a journey to self-discovery that led to a gradual shift in lifestyle and daily habits, made him drop 28kg of excess body weight, then it was followed by a focus on growing his spiritual dimension. He has started practicing Yoga, meditation, and performed Hajj (Islamic pilgrimage). All these led to a series of positive personal changes in his life, and a quest for continuous development and strong desire to connect with God. He came to realize that, in solitude and being in nature he can know God more through his creations. Visual encounters and messages that he passed by can be captured, and reflected upon with photography. Faisal hopes that through his exploratory lifestyle, he keeps on fueling his strength in connecting with the creation of Almighty. Also, he hopes that through his photos he can inspire others to realize how Allah is the Greatest, and majestic, then take another positive step forward towards a happier life. Faisal sees photography as a form of meditation that channels positive energy through him, a way of contemplation, self-discovery and awareness; much more than capturing a moment. It requires him to be in the moment, focused on his subject and totally detached from what’s unnecessary around him. In his free time, Faisal enjoys running, trekking, paragliding, reading, being in Yoga, learn surfing and kite boarding.

Portfolio: http://500px.com/faisal_khan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=553321755