#304 Whirling Up | 回旋舞

Here's a dancing figurine of the Whirling Dervishes, a piece of artwork I found on a street of Istanbul. I watched the dance that day and was impressed by its unique spiritual atmosphere.

The mysterious Whirling Dervishes are a part of the Sufism of Islam. They believe that by performing the Sema dance, dancers can abandon their personal desires and unify with God to achieve the love and wisdom.

As a part of the religious ceremony "Sema", this whirling dance is originated in the 13th century in Konya of Turkey, and you can find the performance and relevant souveniors in many parts of the country.

I found the dancing quite mesmerising. The Dervishes based their whirling on the left foot, while the right foot gave impetus to the rotation in 360-degree steps. Meanwhile, they opened their arms towards the sky and the earth, symbolizing God's beneficence from heaven and his love to people.

In my photo here, you can see the dancer's wearing a tall, conical felt hat (signifying the tombstones of their egos) and a white robe (symbolizing the shrouds of their egos). When I saw this hanging statuette, I felt its white costume go well with the dark background, and the beautiful shape and lines make a good monochrome picture, so I shot it in black and white. It's my entry to @derangedvisions' Photography Contest - Black and White. I like his explanation, which might be inspiring for you too:

What is black and white photography? It is more than just desaturating your image and removing all of the color from it. True black and white photography removes all of the distractions that can come with color and reveals the true essence and emotion of a photograph.

When I shoot, I try and envision what I want the final image to look like, and the type of feel that I want it to have. Doing so makes me conscious of my lens selection, aperture, shutter speed, angles, back drop, and then I have to think ahead to how the photo is going to be edited as well, so I can make sure that I am telling the story through the lens in the first place when I capture the photo so that it ends up the way I want it to when I am done with the final edits.

^{图文 by Donica多}

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Here are some of my travel shots. Check out my posts on Steemit World Map, and follow me for more adventures around the globe! :)
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