Photographer James Kerwin is known for his images documenting abandoned buildings worldwide. His latest series, The Sanctuary, takes him to Turkey, where he explores the abandoned mosques present in small villages across the country. Many of the structures are over 500 years old and have been left in favor of more modern spaces for worship. Thanks to Kerwin, we’re able to appreciate their beauty and architectural detail.

To create the series, Kerwin, who is based in Istanbul, passed through approximately 18 towns and cities and visited over 40 villages, covering five of Turkey’s seven vast regions. Each visit was truly an adventure, as Kerwin didn’t know what he would find until he arrived at his destination.

“I never scouted the places prior in the flesh but tried to make sure there was at least some fairly recent news,” the photographer tells My Modern Met. “However, it failed with four of my top targets—I arrived, and they had vanished.”

Luckily, even with this hit-and-miss strategy, Kerwin found plenty of architecture to spark his creativity. As he’s particularly inspired by color, he was pleasantly surprised to find many mosques retaining their vibrant interiors. His photography reminds us of the incredible artistry and craftsmanship that went into these religious structures and is an important testament to their existence.

Through this series, Kerwin hopes to share the rich heritage of Turkey and its architecture. To him, it’s particularly important given that most tourists only visit a small fraction of the country.

Check out some of our favorite images from the series below and see the full gallery on Kerwin’s website.

James Kerwin is known for his photography of abandoned spaces.

For his new series, The Sanctuary, he traveled across Turkey searching for abandoned mosques.

He visited over 40 villages and found some mosques that were over 500 years old.

Many of these spaces have been left behind in favor of modern places of worship.

But through his photographs, we can appreciate the artistry and craftsmanship of the interiors.

Abandoned Mosque in Turkey by James Kerwin

James Kerwin: Website | Instagram | Facebook | Youtube

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by James Kerwin.

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Arizona, US

‘I came upon this coyote at a wetlands park in Tucson as it stepped out of the shadow and into the early morning sun. After it had given me the stare, it trotted off a bit, flopped down, gazed intensely into the bushes, had a good scratch, and then loped off to find a roadrunner or possibly some easier prey.’

Photograph: Gillian D Henry

Black & White Minimalism Magazine is proud to announce the winners of the prestigious 2024 Black and White Minimalist Photography Prize. Despite the focused theme — minimalist black and white photographs — this year’s competition attracted a strong showing of 1,300 submissions, showcasing the enduring appeal of minimalism in black and white photography.

Grand prize and recognition

Yvonne C. Krystovsky emerged as the 2024 Grand Prize winner for their captivating photograph titled “In Great-Grandpa’s hands.” She will receive a well-deserved cash prize of $1,000 and international recognition.

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Second and Third Place

Following close behind are Daniel Zaleski with “Minimalist Concrete Staircase” and Alexandre Caetano with “On top of Serra da Capelada.” Both photographers have demonstrated exceptional talent in the minimalist black and white style.

Honoring finalists

The competition also recognizes a select group of talented photographers with a showcase of their work as Finalists. These individuals pushed the boundaries of minimalist black and white photography and deserve recognition for their artistic vision. You can see these images on their website.

Celebrating excellence

The winning photographs and finalists will be prominently featured in the annual Black & White Minimalist Photography Prize book and exhibition, reaching a global audience. This prestigious platform provides well-deserved recognition to these talented artists and offers a visual feast for enthusiasts of minimalist black and white photography. In addition, the winning works will be showcased on our high-traffic social media galleries, garnering thousands of views and potentially elevating the artists’ careers to even greater heights.

2024 Jury Members

• Alexandre Manuel: Professional Photographer
• Tim Nevell: Landscape Photographer
• Milad Safabakhsh: Chief Editor of BNW Minimalism Magazine

For more information, please visit their website.

PUTNEY — When Kate Cleghorn first visited Puebla, Mexico in 1984, she found the country “a revelation.”

In a recent interview, she launched into a discussion of Mexico’s origin story, noting that its leader Montezuma believed that gods from the East would come to rule.

When the Spanish explorer Cortez came from the East, Montezuma asked only for Cortez’s helmet. Cortez agreed — but asked for it to be returned filled with gold. When it was, Cortez’s conquest gained urgency.

In that early exchange lie paradoxes at the root of Mexico today. Faith in a spiritual world led to temporal destruction. What the Western world saw as weakness belies an inner strength and celebration of mystery.

That belief in prophecy, of a spirit world that governs life — that sense intrigued Cleghorn. In her many travels throughout rural Mexico, the Southern Vermont photographer came to see that “there is magic in this acceptance of a spiritual world residing in nature.”

Her new book, “Mexico: Spirit of Place,” contains 48 full-page black-and-white photographs.

“Puppet Priest” fuses the Spanish influence of Catholicism with the indigenous beliefs, in this case the love of giants, as embodied by the man in the foreground wearing a costume. Part of this fusion of Catholic and indigenous beliefs, Cleghorn notes, is that many current cathedrals are built on ancient religious sites.

For “Goat Herder,” Cleghorn “did not intend to create a centaur,” yet the blurring of goat herder and dog hints at a closeness, and their images, too, are close to the tree that dominates this dry landscape.

“Bare Feet” is influenced by Nell Dorr, who traveled to Mexico and wrote a book with that name. “I happened upon this woman on the beach,” said Cleghorn. She did not want to be photographed, but agreed to step into the frame and have her feet photographed. “Photographing ordinary people, ordinary things” ties into themes of another photographer she admires, Manuel Álvarez Bravo.

“Incense” underscores Mexicans’ use of incense in ceremonies. A priest stands in the background. The shapes are in harmony here, the sweep of scarf, the arch above, the woman in the center of this impromptu image. (And just what is the man in white shirt doing? Photoshop could remove him — but this is a film image.)

“Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro buried by lava by the volcano Paricutin” shows the effects some 80 years after the volcanic eruption. Cleghorn likes this image in part because of her efforts to get it: “It was so hard to get to: I had to ride a horse for a couple of hours and walk across lava.” The lack of vegetation all these years later “shows what the lava can do,” she said.

“Fish, Puerto Escondido” was taken on the Oaxacan coast of the Pacific Ocean. “I loved the textures involved … and the play of the light and dark … I like organic subjects — fish, dogs, plants,” said Cleghorn. She has returned to this image repeatedly using gravure, platinum print, and salted paper to vary textures and shadings.

Part of her motivation for publishing the book was to show Mexico, a place she loves, in a positive light. She always felt safe there, whether traveling alone and with others, at times helping a professor from Rice University leading tours. She has been away for nine years, but doubts that things in rural areas would have changed. “I never had any problems ever … People are hospitable, they bring you into their homes.”

“Mexico: Spirit of Place” is available at Vermont Center for Photography, vcpbookshop.org, of Brattleboro.

PUTNEY — When Kate Cleghorn first visited Puebla, Mexico in 1984, she found the country “a revelation.”

In a recent interview, she launched into a discussion of Mexico’s origin story, noting that its leader Montezuma believed that gods from the East would come to rule.

When the Spanish explorer Cortez came from the East, Montezuma asked only for Cortez’s helmet. Cortez agreed — but asked for it to be returned filled with gold. When it was, Cortez’s conquest gained urgency.

In that early exchange lie paradoxes at the root of Mexico today. Faith in a spiritual world led to temporal destruction. What the Western world saw as weakness belies an inner strength and celebration of mystery.

That belief in prophecy, of a spirit world that governs life — that sense intrigued Cleghorn. In her many travels throughout rural Mexico, the Southern Vermont photographer came to see that “there is magic in this acceptance of a spiritual world residing in nature.”

Her new book, “Mexico: Spirit of Place,” contains 48 full-page black-and-white photographs.

“Puppet Priest” fuses the Spanish influence of Catholicism with the indigenous beliefs, in this case the love of giants, as embodied by the man in the foreground wearing a costume. Part of this fusion of Catholic and indigenous beliefs, Cleghorn notes, is that many current cathedrals are built on ancient religious sites.

For “Goat Herder,” Cleghorn “did not intend to create a centaur,” yet the blurring of goat herder and dog hints at a closeness, and their images, too, are close to the tree that dominates this dry landscape.

“Bare Feet” is influenced by Nell Dorr, who traveled to Mexico and wrote a book with that name. “I happened upon this woman on the beach,” said Cleghorn. She did not want to be photographed, but agreed to step into the frame and have her feet photographed. “Photographing ordinary people, ordinary things” ties into themes of another photographer she admires, Manuel Álvarez Bravo.

“Incense” underscores Mexicans’ use of incense in ceremonies. A priest stands in the background. The shapes are in harmony here, the sweep of scarf, the arch above, the woman in the center of this impromptu image. (And just what is the man in white shirt doing? Photoshop could remove him — but this is a film image.)

“Church of San Juan Parangaricutiro buried by lava by the volcano Paricutin” shows the effects some 80 years after the volcanic eruption. Cleghorn likes this image in part because of her efforts to get it: “It was so hard to get to: I had to ride a horse for a couple of hours and walk across lava.” The lack of vegetation all these years later “shows what the lava can do,” she said.

“Fish, Puerto Escondido” was taken on the Oaxacan coast of the Pacific Ocean. “I loved the textures involved … and the play of the light and dark … I like organic subjects — fish, dogs, plants,” said Cleghorn. She has returned to this image repeatedly using gravure, platinum print, and salted paper to vary textures and shadings.

Part of her motivation for publishing the book was to show Mexico, a place she loves, in a positive light. She always felt safe there, whether traveling alone and with others, at times helping a professor from Rice University leading tours. She has been away for nine years, but doubts that things in rural areas would have changed. “I never had any problems ever … People are hospitable, they bring you into their homes.”

“Mexico: Spirit of Place” is available at Vermont Center for Photography, vcpbookshop.org, of Brattleboro.

A black and white photograph of two boys flying kites on the steps of the Teopanzolco Cultural Center in Mexico has been named Concrete in Life Photo of the Year taking home $10,000.

Saeed Rezvanian took home the top prize after his photo impressed judges for its “dramatic effect”. This year’s competition saw the first people’s vote competition that awarded $5,000 to Muhammad Nurudin for his photo photos of a farmer beneath Mandara Toll Road in Bali, Indonesia.

There were four other category winners who each received a prize of $2,500.

Concrete Beauty and Design

Concrete in Daily Life

Concrete Infrastructure

Urban Concrete

The Concrete in Life Photo of the Year competition is organized by the Global Cement and Concrete Association (GCCA). The contest is currently on exhibit at the Brunswick Art Gallery in London.

For information about next year’s competition and to see all the shortlisted entrants head to the website.