23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Artistic
Longing to Dive

In Mashhad, a statue stands in the longing to dive — yet only its soft, rippling reflection appears on the dreamlike surface of the lake. Between the hardness of stone and the gentleness of water, a tension unfolds that speaks of the fragile border between reality and dream

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2023
Date Uploaded: 10.2025
Photo Location: Mashhad, Iran
Camera: Canon EOS R50
Copyright: © Ahmad Reza Najafi