Today Soma Gompa held the Tara Ceremony, a big puja and teaching by the Rinpoche of Phyang Monastery on Tara, female bodhisattvas in Tibetan Buddhism (White and Green Taras are most worshiped here). Monks from several monasteries were inside the gompa and the locals filled the outside. I’ve been to several of these pujas heavily attended by the locals and am still figuring out what kinds of images to make from them. They’re usually packed, mildly chaotic, and definitely overstimulating. Trying to isolate things with a 50mm is difficult and I’ve rarely been satisfied with the images, although I’m not sure I’d get what I want from a telephoto or wide-angle lens either. Also, the light outside is too bright and contrasty for me. So today I ended up in the prayer wheel room where the light is darker, the colors richer, and the people more open to connecting with me. They’re usually surprised to find me there in the corner with my camera, but don’t seem to mind. In fact, some people stop to have their pictures taken, like it’s my own little photo booth! Anyway, today was kind of an off day for me and maybe the pictures reflect that. I don’t know, but I like the humor (and colors) in the picture above and wish I had more like it. This lady reminded me a bit of a Mamma Roma with her headscarf and attitude (but of course was nothing like her). She just wanted her picture taken, but was creating a traffic jam…
