As a child, I found attending church a chore. I had little interest in the message of God and would tend to spend my time at service daydreaming about the day ahead. My rebellious teens and twenties saw me reject religion, deeming it as a means to control the masses. Now in my mid 30s, I’m softening to the idea of unified worship, and photography is playing a big role in that.

Inspiration for a Photography Project

England is predominantly a Christian country. Though if you compare it to other nations around the world, it’s becoming more and more secular. This made bypassing the word of God a much easier thing to do. I have family members who have faith, but it was never enforced on me.

When I began to travel to places like Latin America and parts of the East – where religion is very much ingrained into the culture – it came as somewhat of a shock. Churches are packed with people, every day, multiple times a day. At times they would be so busy that churchgoers would be at the entrance, on their knees, talking with God.

As a photographer, someone who has a strong curiosity bone, I found this fascinating. Analyzing people being so connected to their faith really drew me in, and I began to turn up each day with my camera.

A Place for Introspection

Naturally this meant spending more time in Church. I attended mass, spoke to fellow attendees and, to a degree, began to integrate myself into the culture. I became fond of attending church during quiet hours, as I felt I could sit with my thoughts. It felt like a good spot for meditation and introspection.

Eventually, my space for self reflection quickly became a home for conversation. Like the thousands of others, I began to talk to God.

What God looked like to me is hard to say. I’m certain I wasn’t envisioning God in the same way as the dedicated followers of the Church. I did not envision some higher power, or even someone who could guide me.

It was more like an invisible therapist who gave me room to talk things through without judgement or interruption. Whatever it was, I found it extremely cathartic and I began to have these conversations on a daily basis. They began to help me process my life, find peace with certain hardships and create a deeper bond with others and myself.

Was this due to some divine intervention? Honestly, who truly knows. But, I’m certain it was adding value to my life.

Values

Observing the community through my lens, I began to appreciate how religion can encourage certain values and structures that are important for our general happiness and mental health.

It builds a sense of togetherness. Regardless if you believe in God or not, I believe the Church can help us build a support network. Every day after service we would all shake hands and wish each other a good day - it felt like everyone had each other's back.

In times where we seem more insular, more isolated and more divided, it was comforting being in a space where you felt taken care of.

Personally, I believe there’s value in unified positive thinking. I appreciate how that sounds. But, it is true for me. People coming together and asking for positive outcomes seems much more beneficial to society than arguing with one another on social media.

Of course I could unpack all that’s wrong with the Church and religion in general. It’s not perfect for sure.

But, values and unity are really lacking in today’s society, a society that’s constantly pushing the concept of the “unique individual”. And, where has that got us? A generation of narcissists that have more concern about how people perceive them than improving the environment for the greater good. Not to mention a generation ridden with anxiety and unable to make eye contact.

Worst of all, we’re living in a time of severe loneliness. People are spending more time alone or in very small groups. The pandemic will have played its part in this. But the culture in general is pushing us further and further into the depths of isolation - I didn’t feel that when photographing the church community.

Signing Off

Has photographing the Church made me a God worshiping believer? No. I do not attach myself to a religion nor do I recognize God as the utopian leader.

But it has enabled me to see its value. It’s stopped me from belittling its involvement in society and harvested the opportunity for me to get deeper with myself and those around me.

All that, from what began as a simple photography project.

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