Photographer Craig Buchan's latest series captures a 'Commitment' that's more serious than most: the commitment to God.
The series chronicles the lives of modern-day nuns, revealing the mundane realities of their day-to-day. However, despite how prosaic the activities (mowing the lawn, for instance), may be, the Godly context makes them nonetheless fascinating. It's almost like a "Nuns, they're just like us!" segment in Us Weekly.
Buchan does a terrific job of balancing the sacred and the profane, to reference Durkheim; shots of elaborately fashioned crucifixes, for instance, are interspersed between shots of nuns completing various errands, from driving to the store to washing their car mats. The voyeuristic quality of the series is further enhanced by the subjects' vocation, which links them inextricably to a much larger concept, and entity, than themselves.
Modern Nun Photography
Craig Buchan Photographs the Daily Lives of Nuns
Trend Themes
1. Modern Nun Photography - The trend of capturing the daily lives of modern-day nuns through photography presents opportunities for creating new narrative and visual representations of religious devotion.
2. Mundane Realities of Nuns - The trend of revealing the mundane activities of nuns in photography highlights the human aspect of their lives and could lead to innovations in promoting empathy and understanding.
3. Voyeuristic Photography - The trend of using photography to capture the voyeuristic quality of nuns' lives creates opportunities for exploring themes of spirituality, identity, and societal expectations.
Industry Implications
1. Photography - The photography industry can explore innovative ways to capture and showcase the daily lives of religious figures, allowing for new perspectives and visual storytelling.
2. Religious Publishing - Religious publishing industry can embrace the trend of modern nun photography by creating compelling visual content and narratives that resonate with a wider audience.
3. Art Galleries - The art gallery industry can showcase modern nun photography as a disruptive form of art that challenges preconceptions and provokes discussions on religion, feminism, and societal roles.