Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji has captured the world’s attention with his extraordinary photographs revealing the inner beauty of Iran’s mosques. The 24-year-old physics student from Babol in northern Iran taught himself the art of photography through online tutorials and books, and has shown himself to be something of a prodigy. Ganji has travelled for 5 years the length and breadth of his country, documenting places of worship in captivating detail. He usually has to obtain special permits to use the type of equipment – specifically tripods – needed to produce these images, and he times his visits to coincide with quiet periods in the day, so as to evoke the theme of serenity which courses through his work.
Ganji’s studies have influenced his work enormously, and he says that the problems he has to solve in his physics classes are practice for his imagination when preparing to photograph. “A 3D mindset helps me to analyse the space and to imagine the final result before I start taking my photos. Also, photography is to record light, and light is one of the most important elements we study in physics.”
Happily, Ganji plans to continue his work, branching out into other cultures and religions, so watch this space. “I want to take photos from historical places and symbols in other countries, particularly Christian and Jewish shrines – I want a thorough collection.”
