Walking in The Light is John Cohen's photographic journey towards and
through gospel music. From 1954 to 1964 he photographed in the black
churches of East New York, on the streets of New Haven, in the home of
blind Reverend Gary Davis, as well as in the darkness of a boxing gym
and the blackness of coal shovelers at an industrial site. Of all these
images, those of worshippers at a small church in Harlem form the
emotional centerpiece of Cohen's journey, where music leads to spiritual
release in trances and dances. The last destination of this odyssey is
Johns Island, South Carolina, where Gullah children connect to African
ancestors through games and play. Cohen's photographs of musical
performances in religious settings reflect the inner sound expressed on
the face of a singer, a soulful expression, the quality of light that
illuminates the face of a child, or the intensity of a prayer. Sound,
song and religious feeling are permanently rendered in black and white.