At the Monastery of Sergei Posad
Russia, 2009
The monastery at Sergeiv Posad is the spiritual center of the Orthodox Church in Russia. It looks like the Kremlin except the thick walls are painted white. Inside the walls are many churches and libraries and an important seminary.
Russian families, mostly women and children were visiting the monastery the day we did. Babushkas, sitting alone and lost in prayer, turned the pages of their prayer books with gnarled fingers while others compared photos of grandchildren. Almost everyone drank from the pool of water that I intuited had a special efficacy.
In this photo, the mothers hold their babies over the pool so they could scoop some water to drink. I like the expression on the mother’s face. It is hopeful. The photo reminds me of Dorothea Lange’s photos of 1930’s America. The composition is good because the faces form a reverse ‘C’. Luck happens.