Urban Christian News featured a great article on Michael Belk, a veteran fashion photographer who is used to having his works featured in Vogue, GQ and Elle.
Now he has released his most “rewarding” collection – “Journeys with the Messiah” - on Friday, the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
“I was in New York prepping for a photo shoot a week after 9/11 and saw many people searching for something,” recalled Michael Belk, who created the Jesus photo collection out of his Christian faith. “Similar to 9/11, I think many Americans don’t know where to turn in the midst of the current worldwide financial crisis.”
Belk says he hopes his “Journeys With the Messiah” collection will help people who are anxious and looking for answers to find peace by knowing there is someone to turn to.
The photos are a retelling of the stories of 1st-century Jesus to a 21st-century audience. Included in the collection are photos of Jesus with Nazis, prostitutes, Ferraris and motorcycles, as well as Wall Street executives and high rollers that creatively address modern-day social problems such as genocide, materialism, addiction, poverty, and hypocrisy.
One of the aims of the photo collection, the 61-year-old photographer said, was to strip away the “religion” part of Christianity that has turned so many people away, and share the core message of who Jesus was and what He taught.
Belk believes the photos carry messages that God wants to say to people in the world struggling with countless problems right now.
Michael Belk write on his website about the above picture:
Living today while being secure in tomorrow
As the stock markets crashed in the fall of 2008, I panicked as I saw my life savings evaporate before my eyes. Almost half of everything I had counted on was gone. Several days before this catastrophic financial collapse, I was reading about Jesus teaching his disciples a “form of prayer” that we have come to recite as The Lord’s Prayer. Of the six sections of the prayer – the first three to the honor of God and the second three for the needs of man – the fourth part is “Give us day by day the bread we need.” Almost instantly, it dawned on me that, despite all the promises Jesus has made about God taking care of my needs, I do not trust Him for those needs on a day-by-day basis. Not only do I want my bread today, I want to feel secure that I have tomorrow’s bread, today. And, I want to know that I have “retirement bread” and lots of it. How peaceful would life be if we could live with no worry about having to meet our needs for tomorrow? It is His promise. Matthew 6
In 2008, despite the economic downturn, Belk took time off of fashion photography and spent his own money to finance the project that took more than a year and a half to complete. The project cost $600,000.
Pre-production took 10 months and more than 100 extras were needed. An Italian actor played Jesus and a production company from Rome and a film crew from the U.S. were hired.
Belk directed what he calls “the most grueling, but most rewarding shoot” of his career.
All of the photos were shot in Matera, Italy (filming location for “The Passion of the Christ”).
The fashion photographer-turned-Jesus’ camera man is considering to exhibit the collection worldwide in counterintuitive venues such as mass transit stations, corporate headquarters and projections onto urban buildings. He also hopes the images will be used in a greeting card line and small group curriculum.
Limited edition photographs, posters, 108-page photography book, DVD, and screensavers and wallpapers are available for sale. Proceeds from the sale of the photos will fund the worldwide exhibit tour.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE:
{ 3 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }