It has been over a year in process and I have sacrificed much along the way. Carrying my gear through airports, across borders, setting it up only to hear we’ve been postponed again and again. Carrying it back home only to bring it back to India once more. How can I qualify a collection of photos that means so much on a personal and emotional level? How can I attempt to balance art with the importance of what this work could mean for others in the contexts of tradition? These photos are the culmination of my strongest efforts, and the steep learning curve I subjected myself to in preparation. They are different from what I had planned, but they are so much more than I expected. They are up close and personal, dramatic and emotional. They are as me as can be. Karmapa was extraordinarily patient and kind, funny and energetic, while so poised and natural it was mind-blowing. He just stood there and let me photograph him, deeply peering into the lens, and into me at the same time. I had dreamed about what the shoot would be like, going over every little detail a million times in my head, but in the end it was over so fast I barely had time to catch my breath. It was like going through a mental car wash and emerging on the other side with a hard-drive full of photos I don’t particularly remember taking. Karmapa has that way about him, just reordering my molecules without moving a muscle.
It is with great joy that I announce the culmination of these efforts in the crown jewel of my Dharma Studio series. The Karmapa, Thaye Dorje. The Dharma King. The Boss. The essence of the Buddhas, and my teacher. I hope that these photos bring inspiration and joy to his myriad followers, students and devotees. I hope that they bring you as much joy as they bring me. I hope that this is only the beginning, and I will have many such opportunities to document him; his historic life, and all that moves along with it. I offer these to you all so that you may have them - for your practice or for your centers, they are yours. Dharma in this way should always be free. This is the essence of my project, and it is with that intention that I will continue to do this, for as long as I am able.
I present to you: The Dharma Studio - Karmapa Thaye Dorje.
*Follow the link to download these photos, for your personal use, all in print quality.
