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Dazzling Architectural Portraits Capture Intricate Interiors of Historic Iranian Mosques

By Sara Barnes on May 24, 2020

Emam Mosque of Isfahan, Iran

Artist Fatemeh Hosein Aghaei highlights the beauty of mesmerizing mosques that encapsulate striking interiors. Focusing on historic Iranian architecture—and specifically the province of Isfahan—the stunning photographs showcase rooms that are awash in dizzying motifs that extend from the floor to the ceiling. Hosein Aghaei will often crop her shots with the camera pointed upward so that the entire composition is filled with the colorful patterns, archways, and domes. You can easily get lost in the otherworldly feel of her images.

The inspiration for Hosein Aghaei’s photographs comes from her reverence for Iranian architecture. “The most important thing for me is to show the beauty of traditional Iranian architecture to the people of the world,” she tells My Modern Met, “and it is a very difficult task because even in the best of conditions, it is not possible to put all that beauty in just one frame.”

Hosein Aghaei has a process in which she snaps her pictures, which are all taken using a Canon 5D Mark III. “Photographs of buildings usually begin with a picture of the interior or exterior that is captured by the wide-angle lens and most often from a low angle,” she explains. “For the next photo, I try to capture details on those buildings that get my attention and most of the time they are not enough, so I try to take a picture of that building with more than one element in the photo.” This would be part of the ceiling and the altar, for example.

After taking multiple photos, she has a guideline to know if she’s gotten the picture just right. “I look at the picture and if I can show half that beauty, I have done my job.”