The White Religious Dress

Picture this; in a black and white photograph there is a small child surrounded by a big crowd. The child is wearing a white religious dress, cape and an over-the-top crown and veil. No one seems to notice the small child, except the mother, who the child has one hand on for support. The child’s piercing eyes take you to the center of the image as the camera catches both the child's and the mothers eyes. It’s simple for our imagination to begin to paint a picture with only a limited amount of words and details. This is Pedro Meyer’s photograph titled, “Ocumicho, Michoacán, Mexico, 1980.”

Meyer is a very well known photographer based out of Mexico. His photography ranges from contemporary to experimental, to black and white film photography. This photo is part of his religious imagery gallery collection.

To me this is a strong image, not only for its religious reference but for its simplicity and purity and what that represents to a religious community that carries such strong traditional values. The contrast between light and dark objects also stands out to me. I feel the image represent the battle between two worlds, the disparity between good and evil and what is tainted and pure. This photograph can easily convey the emotional ties and faith that communities have towards religion.

I was born only two and a half hours away from where this image was taken, six years later. Coming from a somewhat religious family, I feel religious festivities were celebrated more often in those days than what we celebrate now. I think both of my parents would be able to relate to this image, because of its close proximity to their hometown in Mexico. I feel this image captures what tradition is to the people of Michoacán. Not only does it capture a moment in it’s purest form, but a video would take away from the aesthetic of the child holding on to the mother and even the claustrophobic feeling you get from looking at her. Through words a photograph can be dissected into multiple elements that can reveal more than the photograph itself. It’s like seeing an image all over again through different perspectives.