Grandeur is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “splendour and impressiveness, especially of appearance or style”, and is a term easily applied to the gardens in Haifa and Acre (‘Akká). This photo was taken on the commemoration of the first day of Ridván, the Most Great Festival whereon Bahá’u’lláh publicly declared His mission. That day I deliberately chose to use only a manual-focus SLR, loaded with 35mm film. Film photography, to me, it is an activity entirely separate from digital photography. One that requires selectiveness and deliberate execution, and forces you to slow down. Along with it comes anticipation. Delayed gratification is almost always a good thing.
The following is taken from the Tablet of Visitation recited at the Shrines of the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh.
“The praise which hath dawned from Thy most august Self, and the glory which hath shone forth from Thy most effulgent Beauty, rest upon Thee, O Thou Who art the Manifestation of Grandeur, and the King of Eternity, and the Lord of all who are in heaven and on earth! I testify that through Thee the sovereignty of God and His dominion, and the majesty of God and His grandeur, were revealed, and the Daystars of ancient splendor have shed their radiance in the heaven of Thine irrevocable decree, and the Beauty of the Unseen hath shone forth above the horizon of creation.” —Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í Prayers (1991 edition), p. 268