Photography
Photography
Photography by Ayyaz Amjad — Richmond, the DC area, and Pakistan.
While flying over GB in 2011, I got to see these amazing windmills.
Glass doors have always intrigued me. It’s the tease that draws me to them. They let you see what’s inside, but keep you locked out. Anyone inside can see you, they can choose to let you through or choose to let you stay outside in the darkness.
Don’t Ever
I found myself standing there looking over the fence. I saw so many sleeping souls. It made my heart beat faster. Knowing that although I was watching them, someone could be watching me.
I work a block away from the corner, I see a lot of people, it’s not the most beautiful ones or the best dressed ones that catch my attention though. It’s the ones whose faces I see everyday as I walk past the corner to go to work. I’m going to work, these people stay idle on the corner, already at work. I’m stuck in drug traffic as I walk through the corner. But all I can do is walk through, because I work a block away from the corner.
In Surat Al-Kahf (“The Cave”, 18:83–98) of the Qur’an, a pious warrior king called Dhul-Qarnayn / Zul-Qarnain (“He of the helmet with Two Horns”) journeys to the place between the East and the West, and in the place between the two mountains he finds people who didn’t understand any language. “18:94 They said: “O Dhul-Qarnain! the Gog and Magog (People) do great mischief on earth: shall we then render thee tribute in order that thou mightest erect a barrier between us and them?” Dhu’l-Qarnayn doesn’t take any tribute from them and makes a wall made of iron between the mountains to keep Gog and Magog out, but warns that it will be broken at the time appointed by Allah (before the Day of Resurrection).
40 more pieces from the original site, still being restored
- Urs — Urs, 2011, Sialkot, Pakistan
- Sunglass Man — Sunglass Man, 2011, Lahore, Pakistan
- Larry Sanders — Larry Sanders Dunking, 2009, Richmond, VA
- Broad Street
- Wall Writing
- IMG_0384 — The Creek, 2010, Woodbridge, VA
- Minar-e-Pakistan
- IMG_8831 — Young One, 2011, Lahore, Pakistan
- 6.5 — I’m always awestruck by the beauty of the Earth. I believe this beauty to come solely from Allah., When I create these photo-verses, I use a photograph that I have taken and combine it with a randomly chosen Quranic verse. I find there to be so much beauty in this act of random chaos. This method of opening the Quran and randomly choosing a verse allows me to discover something new. Oddly every verse that I choose seems to have an importance/relevance to the moment that I took the photograph or to the moment that I am feeling now creating this image. Surah Al-An’am touches on topics of Monotheism, resurrection, heaven, and hell. This Surah in particular reports the story of the prophet Abraham who, by using his own reason, stops worshiping celestial bodies and turns towards Allah so that he could receive revelation. I find that this Surah/verse and this image although seemingly unrelated/dissimilar to each other seem to find a perfect relationship together. I believe this image to be beautiful on its own, but together with the verse serves as a reminder that this beauty is a truth of/from God. A truth that if (once) denied must be atoned for in the end of days.
- Larry Sanders — Larry Sanders Dunking, 2009, Richmond, VA
- Jasim
- Exchanging the Wedding Bands
- Broad St. Berries
- Construction — Construction, 2011, Lahore, Pakistan
- 41.53
- First Fridays
- The Spider Web — The Spider Web, 2010, Woodbridge, VA
- Take the Wheel
- No UTurn
- Free Palestine
- 89.4 — Surah Al-Fajr (The Dawn), This surah describes destruction of disbelieving peoples, such as the Ancient Egyptians and the people of Iram of the Pillars. It condemns those who love wealth and look with disdain upon the poor and orphans.
- IMG_0226 — Bug’s Life, 2010, Woodbridge, VA
- Plank
- Juju
- Challi Vendor — Challi Vendor, 2011, Sialkot, Pakistan
- Tanga — Tanga – The Horse-drawn carriage, 2011, Sialkot, Pakistan
- Donkey — Donkey, 2011, Siakot, Pakistan
- Subhan'Allah — Subhan’Allah, 2011, Alexandria, VA
- A Goal Without
- Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.
- Badshahi Masjid — Badshahi Masjid, 2011, Lahore, Pakistan
- Range
- Street View
- All Watching All Knowing
- Towing Service — Towing Service, 2011, Sialkot, Pakistan
- Badshahi Masjid
- Easter
- The Flash
- Challi — Challi, 2011, Sialkot, Pakistan
- Motorcycle Mechanic — Motorcycle Mechanic in Sialkot, Pakistan