The Pentecostals

[Damaso]

Some of you might have seen images from this project but I've finally pulled together a rough gallery of images I shot while I was in Spain this spring and summer. I spent several months photographing at a Pentecostal church in Barcelona. I've created a gallery of what I think are the best images. I'm sure I will add and subtract (mostly subtract) over the next days and weeks but I just thought I'd share. Constructive feedback is more than welcome...

 

[paulfish4570]

stunning and beautiful; joy is explicit on every face ...

 

[robert blu]

All these three photos are very strong. I feel tension in them. Unfortunately I'm not able to visualize your gallery, not sure why. I'll try tomorrow again.
robert

 

[Damaso]

All these three photos are very strong. I feel tension in them. Unfortunately I'm not able to visualize your gallery, not sure why. I'll try tomorrow again.
robert

Picasa was having some issues, you should be able to see the gallery now...

 

[paulfish4570]

got the picassa gallery. wonderful shots. the one with just two hands at the top of the frame may be my favorite.

 

[Damaso]

got the picassa gallery. wonderful shots. the one with just two hands at the top of the frame may be my favorite.

Thanks. That's one of my favorites too. As visually complex as some of this stuff is sometimes I feel like simplicity is the way to go

 

[nikon_sam]

Nice work Damaso...looks like a somewhat small room and you're right in the middle of it...I'm guessing normal to wide lens...
I like these best although all are good...
#2, 6, 10, 15, 19, 20 & 21...
The hands shot really doesn't work outside of the whole series...it is a great POV...

 

[andredossantos]

Excellent set of images, Damaso. I don't think much subtraction is necessary.

 

[jky]

#3, #4, #15 are the ones that hit me the most. Love the expression, composition and angle - the clean background accentuates these for me.

#14 is nice but the lighting is quite poor - understandably you gotta work with what you have.

#12 - I like the angles of the arms, but I think it would have made more impact if you had included the hand of the gentleman in the background. Think it would add some dimension to the image had it not been cut off. As is, I think he competes negatively so with the couple in front.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[ironhorse]

A great collection of images Damaso. You can really feel the intensity of the experience for these people. I agree that the hand shot does not work outside of the entire set.

 

[robert blu]

Gallery works now. Excellent photos, we can really feel the intensity of the emotions. It would be nice to know from your side a little more about this project and how was your relation with these people. It seems you managed somehow to become "invisible" and therefore to be able to shoot without interfere with what was happening. I like the fact you shoot colors. Such a good work has to be published somewhere...
robert

 

[j j]

Nice set. For me, the order of the individual images within the gallery distracts from the quality of the set as a whole. I would be tempted to re-order to tell a narrative: perhaps start with the bible shot, followed by ones that show more relaxed (for want of a better word) people and lead into the more ecstatic worship. Within the last lot I would either alternate hands and faces or bunch each together.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Damso: thanks for presenting a series rather than a singular image. I always appreciate a series that shows long term commitment and understanding by the photographer.

I understand your issue about editing down and how many images to include. Always a problem for me.

I have been working on a series about religion in a local historic negro community. Part of that is continually photographing in three different Pentecostal churches, each varying in the level of intensity. I have been amazed at the warm welcome and access in each of them. I have ministers volunteering that there is no problem with me moving behind that pulpit to photograph during service.

 

[Damaso]

Nice work Damaso...looks like a somewhat small room and you're right in the middle of it...I'm guessing normal to wide lens...
I like these best although all are good...
#2, 6, 10, 15, 19, 20 & 21...
The hands shot really doesn't work outside of the whole series...it is a great POV...

I was mostly shooting is large rooms but they were fairly crowded. I was using a 35mm mostly on the M8 with some 90mm thrown in...

 

[Damaso]

Gallery works now. Excellent photos, we can really feel the intensity of the emotions. It would be nice to know from your side a little more about this project and how was your relation with these people. It seems you managed somehow to become "invisible" and therefore to be able to shoot without interfere with what was happening. I like the fact you shoot colors. Such a good work has to be published somewhere...
robert

I plan on writing a story to go along with the images. In fact this gallery is more geared toward photo editors than anything else. Figuring out the narrative is part of what I'm playing with here, I will likely do some reordering as I spend more time with this selection of images.

As Bob noted I was also very much welcomed by the pastor and the congregation. For me becoming "invisible" is a bit of a misnomer, it was more about becoming a fixture. I shot nearly every Sunday (and some weekdays) for nearly three months. After a while everyone just knew who I was and what I was doing. I always tried to be sensitive to what was going on and not get in the way. The good thing about shooting at a charismatic church is that they are more focused on what they are doing than you as a photographer. The more I went the more I learned the rhythms of the people and the church. It was a good reaffirmation for me of the importance of the long term approach...

 

[crawdiddy]

It's hard for me to think about fundamentalist Christianity among Europeans. It really seems like an American phenomenon to me. Perhaps because I associate it with rural Southerners. They do it so convincingly (act as if they believe this stuff), that it's hard to imagine the same culture in Barcelona. Perhaps I'm stereotyping both the fundamentalists and the Europeans.

 

[dave lackey]

It's hard for me to think about fundamentalist Christianity among Europeans. It really seems like an American phenomenon to me. Perhaps because I associate it with rural Southerners. They do it so convincingly (act as if they believe this stuff), that it's hard to imagine the same culture in Barcelona. Perhaps I'm stereotyping both the fundamentalists and the Europeans.

Yes, you are stereotyping both groups. It is not uncommon. As a native from Atlanta, Georgia, I can tell you that it is no act. It is who they are and their beliefs are inseparable from their lives.:angel:

I, too, was amazed that Pentecostals were in Barcelona and Damaso educated me on the history of that movement. Quite interesting.🙂

 

[crawdiddy]

Yes, you are stereotyping both groups. It is not uncommon. As a native from Atlanta, Georgia, I can tell you that it is no act. It is who they are and their beliefs are inseparable from their lives.:angel:

I, too, was amazed that Pentecostals were in Barcelona and Damaso educated me on the history of that movement. Quite interesting.🙂

I'm a native Texan. In high school, I went to an evangelical church with a friend, and I was amazed at the speaking in tongues. So, I have seen this stuff for myself firsthand.

Do I think all of the people participating actually believe that some "higher power" is speaking through them? No, I do not believe all of them believe it. I think many of them are pretending to believe. It's an act.

 

[christian.rudman]

not really the forum thread for that discussion crawdiddy, keep on point.

and what other people believe or dont is really none of your business anyhow.

And as to me keeping on point:

Damaso, love the series.

If you can tell from my name, I was brought up Christian 😛 and as a native Texan I have seen so much of this through my life it is nice to see someone capturing this from elsewhere in the world. While I no longer consider myself a "Christian believer" I completely identify with every one of your subjects. It is a beautiful set and deserves some more work. Hell, go back and shoot tons more! Like Bob M is doing, you could use some diversification in your shots and trying out different congregations could really visualize that.

My favorite shot of yours is the one with the young boy having hands laid upon him, I would love to see more of the younger part of the church and their visual experience in this crazy storm of pentacostal fervor. 😀

Keep up the great photojournalistic efforts Damaso!

 

[Instantclassic]

not really the forum thread for that discussion crawdiddy, keep on point.

and what other people believe or dont is really none of your business anyhow.

I think the pentacostal Christians or any other branch of Christianity along with Islam, Hinduism, Shintoism etc is every beings business since the metaphysical belief systems and the culture that comes with it is human.

There is no special treatment for you...