Sightings of the Sacred

by Daniel Naude

The renowned South African photographer Daniel Naudé’s moving studies of cattle in cultures where they are considered sacred offer unique insight into the lives of the people, the animals, and the spiritual practices that have remained unchanged for thousands of years. For the past two years Daniel Naudé has focused on photographing cattle in societies where these animals are venerated. This beautiful book presents images from parts of Uganda, Madagascar, and India where these animals represent a culture’s most profound beliefs. Naudé photographs his subjects with the same respect any photographer would lend toward humans. Richly colored and exquisitely composed, these portraits capture the animals’ presence and the landscapes they inhabit while also telling us much about cosmology, ancestor worship, culture, and the tradition of spiritual practices that have evolved over the ages. Like the best photographers, Naudé achieves this all within a single photographic frame.

Genres: Photography

144 pages, Hardcover

Published May 15, 2016

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing photos of sacred cows in Uganda, Madagascar and India.

[Kyleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous photographs - wow. I felt like I needed to know more about the cultural context of cattle, and I had trouble grasping this information from the introduction. Writing near each photograph might've taken away from the beauty, but I really would have enjoyed learning more about the subjects and their world. 5 stars for the photographs and 3 for the text.