Faith, captured

There are interesting moments to be captured in the month of Ramadan, writes Salliza Salleh

IN the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast during the day for 30 days to perform one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It is a month of self-restraint, increased spiritual bond with Allah through worship and prayers, recitation of the Quran and reflection.

Take the opportunity to capture interesting moments related to this fasting month.

For me, Ramadan is not only about bazaars. I am more keen to observe the spiritual journey that the believers take to reap the rewards offered during this blessed month.

A close-up photograph is a good approach to capture spiritual moments of Ramadan.

For example, a close-up picture of your intended subject adds intimacy or strong relatable emotion into your photograph.

Different from macro photography, a close-up is photographing your subject in close range so the subject fills the frame but at the same time still relates to the world around us. An extreme close-up is considered macro photography.

Here are some ideas on how and what to capture during Ramadan using the closeup photography approach.

1. ReseARCH: Always start your photography project with well-rounded research. Gather information about Ramadan.

Get close-up shots. Every object has details that usually go unnoticed.

Close-up photograph teaches our eyes to take note of small interesting details in our daily life.

This photo is a close-up photo of a moment right before iftar. The Maghrib call for prayer from the Azan app marks the end of fasting for the day and it is recommended to break fast with dates in odd numbers.

Muslims break fast with light food first and perform their Maghrib prayer before continuing with heavy meals. My camera setting is at f/2.8, 1/60 second at ISO 1250.

2.COMpOsiTiOn: The usual photography composition rules are also applied to close-up photographs.

I include reading the Quran as one of the important moments as the contents were revealed to Prophet Muhammad in the month of Ramadan.

In this photo, I moved closer to my subject to capture a close-up of her reading the Quran.

I use depth of field to direct viewer’s attention to my subject. My camera setting is at f/3.5, 1/60 second at ISO400.

3. fill THe fRAMe: Use your wide-angle lens and fill your frame with your subjects.

Muslims gather with family, friends and Muslims from all walks of life during breaking fast.

Capture the moment when they enjoy the meal together after a long day of fasting.

I captured this photo of my friends reciting their prayers before their heavy meal at Al Falah Mosque of USJ 8. Friends or strangers are offered a big tray of food and eat from the same tray together.

My camera setting is at 14mm, f/2.8, 1/60 seconds.

4. ClOse-Up ARCHiTeCTURAl: During this month, Muslims gather for pre-dawn meals and dawn prayers. They also gather for breaking fast and Maghrib, Isyak and Terawih prayers.

Take time to observe your surroundings while in the mosque for any interesting architectural design, fill your frame with your subject and don’t forget to include people in it too.

This is a close-up photo of the interior of Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz mosque and a man walking towards the main prayer building adds the human factor to my photograph. My camera setting is at 16mm, f/8, and 1/60 seconds.

5. BACKGROUnD: Choose a plain and unintrusive background for your subject, so that it doesn’t distract your subject in your closeup.

You want the viewer to look at your subject and not linger on the background instead. Ramadan is when Muslims spend one-third of the night praying, trying their best to get closer to the Al-Mighty.

I capture this close-up photo of a man praying alone in a corner and my camera setting is at auto ISO, f/2.8 and 1/60 seconds.