PRAYER focuses on religion and worship. They capture a person's very private moments with their God and, in that sense, is an intrusion of privacy. Yet these are pictures taken in public places of worship, of people who are not shy or afraid to express their communion with the divine.

Included in this section is a series of pictures taken at THAIPUSAM, a Hindu festival which takes place during the full moon in February. It's a colourful event during which devotees pierce their bodies with spikes, hooks and needles and walk in a procession to another temple before having the needles removed.

To the outsider, it seems scary. My interest as a photographer took me into the midst of it all and, yes, there were isolated scary moments as when someone enters a trance and appears to be out of control. But overall, the mood was holy.

In holiness, there is nothing to be afraid.

Click on the photographs to go to the relevant pages:

NEW: THAIPUSAM 2005		THAIPUSAM / VESAK 2004

...Click on the photographs to view a larger image, and to read the story behind the picture.