In The Shadow of The Divine

• Prize
  Gold in Portfolio/Other
• Photographer
  Roger Chen
• Technical Info
  Various, Full Frame
• Photo Date
  Feb-Mar 2025

In Nepal, religion is not confined to temples or rituals — it permeates daily life. Prayer flags flutter atop temples, carrying silent prayers on the wind. Stone shrines sit in street corners where offerings of marigolds and rice speak to an ancient reverence. The gods are near — in the footsteps of pilgrims circling stupas, in the smoke rising from temple incense, in the sound of turning prayer wheels and monks chanting sutras. Life, death and reincarnation permeate this landscape shaped by devotion, where the divine is not above or beyond, but present in the land, the people, and daily life.

I'm a cultural and documentary photographer and aspiring visual storyteller, currently based in Manila, Philippines. Having led a nomadic lifestyle all my adult life because of my career in the diplomatic service, I have been intrigued by the cultures, traditions and artistic heritage of the numerous countries I have visited or resided in.