You all made us feel so at home, I was deeply touched - we all were. Right in the heart of London, this amazing building has so much character and life, one can feel the energy that lives and breathes here. The hustle-bustle, the grind and wind, bits and bobs and all that; nary a sense of stress but instead a wafting feeling of relaxed and groovy vibes. I love London; funny enough after about 5 days I realized I had yet to step foot outside the building since we arrived. I had instead spent my time gazing out at the street while I hammered away on my computer, keeping up with all the crazy excitement that was happening before my eyes, and venturing into my lens. I did manage on the last day to get out once for about an hour, quick walk to the river and back, coffee, cake and a haircut, so that’s at least something :)
Arriving from France with many, many delays, we got to the Beaufoy close to midnight, at which point Karmapa asked for a tour. So we saw every square inch of the building in the wee hours, going room to room, cupboard to cupboard, Karmapa looking in every nook and cranny, as he loves to do. I in turn was trying not to get run over or cornered by the many, many smiling faces that followed him, our long day’s travel adding to my sense of wonder and amazement. There is so much history here, they have done a marvelous job keeping things true to vintage form. The Great Hall is really something special, and while it’s scheduled to be remodeled, Karmapa mentioned several times how much he just loves it “as it is”, so perhaps some adjustments to the planning are now in the works. The event itself was in a large tent in the garden, and it was just lovely. Despite the “British Summer” of cloudy grey skies, the tent was packed and hot, crowded to the brim as per usual. Even though a few times it rained so hard the tent was totally flooded, and at night those sleeping in the tent did find street foxes kidnapping their socks while they dozed.
It’s no secret I love blessing photos with babies - perhaps some of you have noticed by now. I find them so moving, little hands reaching out, Karmapa grabs a tiny finger or caresses their cheek softly. It’s all in the eyes, transfixed like time has halted and it’s just the two of them together. I live for these moments, and I always make sure to capture them- to share with you - but also just for me. Perhaps being a parent now has intensified this, I see the special connection he has with them, and they him. I would imagine seeing Karmapa with those infant eyes, what he must be to them. What it must be like seeing this massive being before them, without the concepts of age and growing up to muddy your experience. Serendipitously, they organized a baby blessing right after the teaching one evening, so I could shoot to my heart’s content, and in the end I got some of my favorite photos of all time. The setting sun, the golden glow of the stage lights, all the little eyes gazing up in amazement at Karmapa’s immense presence and huge beaming smile. Their twinkling eyes, or their steadfast confidence, it was wild to see all these tiny people interact with Karmapa, and seeing the joy on his face melted my heart ten fold. I hope that other centers do this too, it was just such a beautiful experience. I hope you all enjoy seeing the photos as much as I had making them, a life’s highlight for me without question. The first of many perhaps, if I get my way.
Again another coming and going, another experience wrapped and moving on. It’s quite a vivid experience moving from place to place each week, new things coming all the time, different beds and different cities. The people I have met and spent time with have been remarkable, and I treasure this time as much as I can. I really enjoyed our time here, thank you Beaufoy! Thank you London!
(And thank you to all the babies, you were just fantastic!)
