How We Wear Our Faith
A photograph by Adetutu Adediran, commissioned for Tender Visions
This is the 197th edition of Tender Photo, a newsletter on African photography supported by MPB.com.
Two figures stand at the threshold, their faces withheld beyond the frame. They wear long crimson habits. Their hands are folded in prayer. White rosaries slip through their fingers. The beads catch the light and end in crosses that hang against the red fabric. Behind them, the doorway recedes into shadow. Beside them, the worn wooden doorjamb marks the quiet passage between interior and exterior. Prayer as posture before belief.
—Olaniyi Omiwale
“My practice is rooted in memory, home, identity, and the act of remembering.”
Faith-based communities often transcend physical spaces, they are bound together by rituals, values, and symbols that are worn, carried, and performed.
By documenting how people express their faith in clothing and carry their faith through everyday life, these photographs sheds light on how community is built not only through presence, but through shared purpose, reverence, and identity. At its core, it asks: What role does what we wear play in how we connect with the divine and each other?
My practice is rooted in memory, home, identity, and the act of remembering. I am interested in capturing transient emotions and discovering alternative ways of seeing, ways that challenge the expected and make space for personal and collective histories.
My process is experimental and research-driven, shaped by lived experience, personal history, and a curiosity about how the past continues to shape the present.
— Adetutu Adediran
About Adetutu Adediran
Adetutu Adediran is a Nigerian photographer whose work explores themes of migration, identity and belonging. She uses symbolism to represent ideas, also incorporating bold, vivid colors to evoke emotion and establish a strong visual presence. Her practice is often rooted in research, drawing from history, personal and collective experiences to build narratives that allow reflection and reimagination. Her work has been exhibited at Rele Gallery, Alliance Francaise, Fire Station and +234art fair.
One More Thing
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Apply to: LensCulture Photobook Prize 2026
The inaugural LensCulture Photobook Prize offers one photographer the opportunity to transform an unpublished project into a beautifully designed, professionally printed, and internationally distributed photobook—fully funded. In partnership with Nazraeli Press, the winning project will be designed, produced, and distributed worldwide. Additional prizes go to 5 Shortlisted and 10 Finalist photographers.
Deadline: August 12, 2026. Get the full details and submit here.
This newsletter is the flagship project of Tender Photos, a digital platform of African photography and visual storytelling, founded by Emmanuel Iduma and Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. Our ongoing project, Tender Visions, funds new work by photographers and writers on the African continent in partnership with the Open Society Foundations. Partner with us.
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A great image, beautifully taken