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Published: 2012-03-22 14:18:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 19177; Favourites: 572; Downloads: 162
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120103-A-VB845-187Local boys perform a prayer at sunset outside of Combat Outpost Senjaray, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan,
Jan. 3, 2012. Also known as the Maghrib Prayer, it is the fourth of five daily prayers performed by practicing
Muslims. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kristina Truluck/Released)
I find the faith that these people have astounding. I've seen children and adults performing their prayer rituals
even with us destroying IEDs in the area. It's disheartening to know that these boys often don't even flinch if a
bomb is going off in the distance. It's just another day under the tyrannical reign of the Taliban.
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My military imagery is available for public domain. As the photographer, I don't have control over
how you may use it, but I ask that it be done with respect to the individuals represented here.
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Comments: 167
👍: 1 ⏩: 0
I think what you have here is a wonderful piece of photography! You've managed to capture the gracefullness of this moment that these boys probably were ecperiancing!
In my opinion to blur the sky wasn't necessary but that is just what I think~
The innocence and faith that shine through this art have a huge impact on the person who is seeing this art work. "The beauty is in the eyes of the looker". This photograph has a deep meaning to it, it tells how much those boys are different from us, they have much tougher lives then us but the feeling of faith that kind of bonds us together is beatiful in this photo.
Maybe you could manage to capture the sun in this picture? You could have done this from the back where we could have seen the sun set, that would have been very pretty and just top the picture off with but everyone can improve right?
Over all I think it is a wonderful piece of photography and I love it very much!
Great job!
=Spirithowls
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Thanks for the critique!
The blur just came from the small aperture I used along with the distance between the boys and the background.
I was hoping to get a brighter sunset shot, but unfortunately, we didn't get to our location early enough. =/
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Welcome!
Maybe you could get another special shot late~
But it still is quite brilliant~
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Just a curious question, were they OK with you photographing them while they prayed?
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Yep! They were completely focused on their prayer and didn't notice me (or they just ignored me, haha). Once they were finished, I motioned them over and showed them the photos I took and they were ecstatic.
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I'm glad they were happy with the photos once you had shown them
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Thank you very much for your photos! To show us "the other side of the war"!
God bless you!!
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Thank you.
Once I started noticing it, I couldn't not photograph it. I wish more of the world could see that side of the war, or just Afghanistan in general.
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I'm sorry for my late response.
I just want to thank you again for all your good photos you're making and
wish you all the best in the future!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
No worries, life happens!
Thank you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
There is definitely a sense of peace, and of calm in the picture. Good job!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
featured here
There is not enough time !hello Peeps ! As the title suggests there just isn't enough time in my day, week or months at the moment. I have so much to do with my full time job working for Unite the Union, teaching photography for HF Holidays and planning my wedding in January, I don't know if I'm coming or going to be quite honest. I have at least got my mum's estate all sorted, solicitors paid bank accounts closed trust set up and inheritance paid out to my brother and sisters. Even though my mum didn't live long enough to see us get married, she will be there in spirit and the money she left me has paid for the wedding, so thanks mum ! I have a new website that will be up and running shortly it's just in the final stages of completion, I will be my professional photography portal, for all my paid work which seems to be gathering pace but it seems that the more work I do the less time I spend here unfortunate as I love Deviant Art
Anyway that's enough waffle time for a 100 image feature !
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Thank you. It was one I was hoping to shoot for a good while. The lighting and the background never worked until that day.
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True. I don't know if I could keep up with it if I were a religious person.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Maybe it's because they are religious and belive that they can keep up with it.
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w e l l . d o n e
g r e a t . c a t c h
g r e a t . m o m e n t
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thank you! It's definitely one of my favorites from the deployment.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
a n d . y o u . m u s t . b e . p r o u d . i t ' s . a . g r e a t . o n e .
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
That's an extremely evocative shot, showing a side of Afghanistan most outsiders don't see.
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Thank you. That was one of my goals of the deployment. I wasn't aware of this side of war until I witnessed it.
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I have such mixed emotions when I look at this poignant photo. I struggle with finding the positive when it comes to this part of the world and their beliefs. I have to constantly remind myself that there is good in others...even in this place of oppression. I am always suspicious of anyone's intentions there. I know that is my ignorance and narrowmindedness. I guess some scars inflicted in our past are hard to heal...knowing that we are so despised and misunderstood by many in that part of the world. That is their ignorance and narrowmindedness. In that respect, we have much in common. So, I do thank you for sharing these wonderful, enlightening photos with us. I can only imagine how it takes its toll on you at times. Many blessings!
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The deployment had taught me to approach most situations with an open mind - it's surprising how open and welcoming many of the villagers were towards us soldiers.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
can I just express how much i love you?
My dad was on tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and all he ever would talk about is how bad these people were.
You are showing a different side of them, because while they live around these things and are controlled by the Taliban, these people aren't all bad. just like how were not all good.
I enjoy this very much, thank you.
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
I am currently deployed to Afghanistan as a civilian, and was deployed to Iraq as a Marine. Just a week or two ago I watched for the first time the movie "Lone Survivor". Very good movie. For the first two-thirds of the movie I was angry. Angry at the people that we are here to help, and at the fact that it seems like we cannot win in a situation where we seem to be the only ones playing with a set of rules.
But towards the end I actually felt good about the local people in general and felt a glimpse of hope for our mission of assistance with ridding the area of Taliban.
I will not elaborate on the movie in case anyone has not seen it, but it goes with my personal belief that we, as people, are inherintly good.
This photo evokes those feelings and makes me feel happy about our goals here.
Unfortunately your father may be one of the many people whos sole contact with the local population was with the diseased part. The part that needs to be removed.
Never believe one thing to be true for all.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
As long as the love comes with coffee and horses.
I won't lie, the Taliban are some pretty shitty examples of human beings. Some of the things they did to their own people that didn't follow their cause was apalling. Thankfully, though, it wasn't too hard to find the good out there. We're all people once you get down to it.
Give your dad my thanks for serving!
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well do sir, thank you
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I'm actually female, but the mixup happens a lot.
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that makes you even better
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NICELY done! ....
This OLD man has a PRAYER just for HIMSELF ....
"Dear LORD, let my WORDS be TENDER and SWEET for SOON I MAY have to EAT them!"
(SMILES)
My BEST to you and yours,
ROTL/RuntOfTheLitter
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
It's pretty sad that they have to live under the Taliban regime, and to think that Afghanistan was actually going towards democracy before the Taliban took over
I'll reserve my opinion of religion to myself (don't want to start a debate), but it is kinda impressive they're still keeping up with the prayers even under such harsh conditions.
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No worries - I'm not a religious person, but I try to respect other people's faiths.
Afghanistan really is a beautiful place.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Same here, as long as you keep your faith to yourself, I'm cool with you believing in whatever you want, lol.
Yeah, so I've heard, but it isn't exactly a tourist friendly place to go to, which is a shame. :/
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