The concept of religion and faith is a simple one for some — and for others it is nonexistent. In 1999, photographer Steven Katzman responded to a newspaper ad that read, “Come to the Miracle Tent. Come witness the blind see, the crippled walk, the deaf hear.”

People seek salvation, hope, comfort and forgiveness — and across the world, people find it in Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity

Perhaps fittingly then, what began as an interesting photography project became Mr. Katzman’s own emotional and spiritual transformation.

An inner glow

His photographs of people converting to Christianity or celebrating their faith are emotionally charged images — dark pictures that glow and radiate from the center.

Near the middle of the collection, a young woman is bent over at the waist and her wavy blond hair billows away from her face, surrounding her in a halo of light. Her lips, dark with lipstick, are stretched open and her eyes are tightly shut.

She is a pale face surrounded by darkness — and we cannot tell if she is screaming, laughing or crying. The emotions are raw and intense. They are anything but definable.

Twisted and full of torment

If faith is a gateway to eternal peace, then the collection entitled “The Face of Forgiveness: Salvation and Redemption,” shows that the transformation from a faithless life to a more devout one is anything but easy. The bodies — the strong and muscular to the overweight, crippled and the injured — are twisted and full of torment.

The collection opens with two women kneeling in the grass, praying and crying. One woman rests on her knees, her arms raised up to sky. The other woman is pressing her hand against her face, crushing her tears as if she was trying to contain the crushing inward flow of emotions.

But what these women are thinking about, whether they are asking for forgiveness for former sins or whether their minds are preoccupied with some other kind of hurt, we’ll never know.

A personal interpretation

Like religion, these photographs prompt hundreds of questions. Mr. Katzman, for example, captures an overweight man, lying on his back — dozens of dollar bills surrounding him. He provides no information on the circumstances surrounding this photograph except that he captured this image at the Revival Ministries International in Tampa, Florida in 2004.

The interpretation of this collection is deeply personal. Some will see it and its underlying religious message as overwhelming, perhaps even, cultish. For others, it will be a call home, a deep and poignant reminder of their own faith.

Presented by Christina Erb.

About Steven Katzman

Steven Katzman, a self-taught photographer, has received a number of grants from Eastman Kodak, Ilford and Polaroid. He has been awarded a Gold ADDY Award for his work.