Once Upon a Time by Faisal Khan

In this evocative still life, Faisal Khan captures the weathered texture of a wall in Marrakesh, finding profound beauty in its aged surface. The photographer was drawn to the deep cracks, which he perceived as a metaphor for an elderly person standing with enduring pride and dignity. By utilizing a 100mm focal length at f/4, Khan isolates these intricate details, creating a shallow depth of field that emphasizes the tactile history of the structure. The image serves as a meditative reflection on time and resilience, transforming a simple architectural element into a powerful narrative of grace and survival.

Once Upon a Time by Faisal Khan
Canon EOS 5D Mark II | Exposure 1/100sec @ f/4 | ISO 320 | Focal Length 100mm
Copyright Β© Faisal Khan
Light & Composition Photo of the Day

Faisal Khan

REGISTERED PHOTOGRAPHER

Raised in Saudi Arabia, Faisal Khan is a chemical engineer turned photographer whose global travels across 30 countries have deeply informed his artistic perspective. His work is rooted in a journey of self-discovery, spiritual growth, and a desire to connect with the divine through the natural world. Viewing photography as a form of meditation, Khan uses his camera to channel positive energy and document the majesty of creation, aiming to inspire others toward personal development and a more meaningful, aware existence.

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12.8/20
RESONANCE
SCORE
247/500
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Award Reach | Reviews
17,789 views | 6 Reviews
Award Winner Photo of the Day
Award Date September 24, 2013
64.0
AWARD SCORE
Value 12.0
Clarity 13.0
Composition 16.0
Style 12.0
Skill 11.0
Photograph Location
Marrakesh, Morocco

AWARD SEGMENT | TAGS

Faisal Khan Photography
Still Life Photography

Resonance Score Breakdown

Transparency in Award Scoring

Transparency Note: The resonance score (12.8/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.

Social Shares
5.0/5 points
1,937/1,000 Social Share
Page Views
5.0/5 points
17,789/2,500 Page View
Reviews
0.3/5 points
6/100 Review
Submissions
2.5/5 points
247/500 Submission
Jury Score: 64.0/80
Resonance Score: 12.8/20
Total Award Score: 76.8/100

Expert Photography Reviews · 6

James Rokeby Camera Craft & Technical Execution Expert Review
1/100sec at f/4, 100mm. It’s a narrow slice of reality. The choice of f/4 at 100mm isolates the texture, but it’s a gamble. The focus plane is razor-thin, leaving the edges of the frame to dissolve into irrelevance. I’ve spent too long staring at these cracks; they’re technically sharp, but the light feels flat. It’s a competent execution of a shallow depth of field, yet it doesn't quite earn its own gravity.
Clara Whitfield Award Criteria, Legacy & What Makes an Image Endure Expert Review
Most entries in this category rely on heavy-handed metaphors, but Khan’s wall avoids the trap of sentimentality. By choosing f/4, he forces our eyes to navigate the cracks as if they were wrinkles on a face. I’ve stared at this for weeks, and it still feels like a quiet, honest conversation with time. It’s the restraint that wins here; he didn't over-process the decay, he just let the light reveal the dignity in the erosion.
Thomas Hargreaves Earned Photographs, Craft Discipline & the Long Wait Expert Review
Marrakesh heat has a way of bleaching the ambition out of a man, yet here, the texture feels deliberate. One wonders how many afternoons Khan spent leaning against that wall, waiting for the shadows to carve out those cracks just so. It’s a quiet, stubborn piece of work. I’ve spent enough hours in the dust to know that kind of patience isn't cheap. It’s earned. I find myself wanting to touch it. That’s rare.
Priya Sharma Negative Space, Minimalism & the Japanese Aesthetic Expert Review
The wall breathes. It’s a map of erosion, a slow surrender to the sun. I’ve spent minutes tracing these cracks. They aren’t scars. They’re lines of grace. Nothing here is accidental. The empty corner is not empty. It’s a weight. A silence. I feel my own pulse slow down in front of it. It’s rare to find such stillness in a frame. Khan doesn’t shout. He lets the plaster speak for itself. It’s enough.
Sophie Delacroix Emotional Narrative, Viewer Response & Psychological Impact Expert Review
Before the eye identifies the wall, the pulse slows. There’s a tactile ache in the way the light catches those fissures; it’s as if the plaster is breathing. I’ve returned to this frame three times today, and each time, the cracks feel deeper, like lines on a palm I’ve held. It doesn’t just record Marrakesh; it settles into my own skin. It’s a quiet, heavy grace that lingers long after I’ve looked away.
Yusuf Al-Hamdan Landscape, Light as Presence & the Spiritual Dimension Expert Review
The light here doesn't demand; it lingers. Faisal stood before this Marrakesh wall as the sun softened, listening to the silence held within those deep, jagged cracks. It’s a portrait of endurance, really. I’ve spent enough hours waiting for the shadows to lengthen to recognize that ache in his framing. My own hands felt a strange, quiet warmth tracing those weathered lines. He didn't just capture a surface; he waited until the stone finally decided to speak.
Reflections on this Photograph
By Margaret Holt

The Architecture of Memory

We often speak of time as a river, something that flows away from us, leaving only the silt of what used to be. But perhaps time is more like a wall, a physical accumulation of every season it has endured.

Read the reflection →
By Clara Menezes

The Cartography of Skin

We are taught to fear the fraying edge, the way a garment thins at the elbow or a page yellows at the corner. We treat the map of our own historyβ€”the lines etched by laughter, the fissures carved by long wintersβ€”as if they were failures of the material.

Read the reflection →

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