Book cover

[Damon Lynch]

Slobodan's post about his wonderful magazine cover photo has prompted me to share this story about a book cover. The cover photo of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding is the interior of a cathedral from my favorite city in the world. Upon entering the Holy Savior Cathedral on Aug. 23 2007, I heard the glorious voice of the soprano Anna Mailian, as featured in Volume Two of "Music of Armenia". I had purchased the CD in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City in 2005. When you hear a voice like Mailian's, of course you never forget it. Suddenly Isfahan and Jerusalem, two ancient cities 1,500km apart, became one. So enthused was I to hear the music that I'm certain I beamed away when exclaiming "I know that song!" to the two Iranian Armenian gentlemen minding the cathedral. They didn't know English and I didn't know Persian but the point was made. Several signs indicated photography was banned in the cathedral. Nonetheless without me asking the two men told me I could go ahead.

[francois]

Stunning photo…

Congrats for the book cover, you really deserve it!

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Congratulations!
A beautiful image and the book sounds fascinating.
Although they had to crop to fit the book shape, they did it with sensitivity (or did you specify the crop?).

[Damon Lynch]

Thanks! They did the crop. It looks fine to me too.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Hi Damon, and congrats! Great shot!

Your story reminds me (though I would rather forget it) of a similar situation I was once in a Greek Orthodox church in Crete. Photography was forbidden, a priest was there, a few yards away, but my taxi driver signaled that he would distract the priest by talking to him. Yet I hesitated... damn!

[shawnino]

Wow--good story, better image.
Congratulations.

[Iluvmycam]

Fantastic, big congrats!!