The Evolution of a Smile
He initiated these shots every time our paths crossed. I never saw him any other way.
A Man (I might understand)
This man asked me to take his picture at Stondge Monastery in Zanskar. He was alone and asked me to bring the photo to his work in Leh, which I’ll do. Usually these kinds of pictures aren’t very interesting, but this guy was different. He reminds me of the men from New Mexico where I [...]
Three Young Monks
These three young monks from Karsha Monastery are truly as charming and sweet as they look. Each has an older monk that acts as kind of a mentor or guardian to them. The monk above is mentored by Wangboo, the monk who put me up in his place at Karsha, and he was often around [...]
Youth in Red + Green
How can you not love these faces??? This is a huge reason why I love it so much here. I ended up taking many pictures of the young Zanskarpas among the greens, source of life…
Sani Festival Portraits
Portraits of the monks of Bardan Monastery, who perform the festival at Sani.
A Wedding in Zanskar
Weddings are a huge reflection of the culture of Ladakh and Zanskar and are in a state of change like everything else here. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this marriage other than a constantly weeping bride, but what I got was an insight into the culture that I hadn’t known before. It was [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — Scenes From the Road
I traveled with the groom’s side of the wedding party from Zangla to Shilla to bring the bride to the groom’s family home. Traditionally the groom stays in his village and waits for the bride to be brought to him, so neither the groom or bride was present for this part of the ceremony. The [...]
A Wedding in Zanskar — The Dance Party
When the young guys in the den started dancing to the latest Ladakhi songs (played on every bus so I know them all by now) it felt like a window opened to the culture that I could relate to. I was so happy to see and feel this particular kind of freedom. I hadn’t seen [...]
Lamayuru Festival
Lamayuru is one of my favorite places in Ladakh. It’s a beautiful village with an amazing monastery set in a totally surreal mountain landscape. I went to the monastery’s annual festival last weekend. Masked dances (chams) enacting themes from Tibetan mythology are the center stage of these festivals and the house is always packed. (Thankfully, [...]
A Great Little Day!
Today was a great little day for me. I stumbled onto a small festival where I was the only non-Ladakhi and the locals just brought me into the fold. The exact reason for the festival is still unclear to me, but monks and nuns from different monasteries were there to recite some Buddhist texts. The [...]
Ladakh Prayer Festival: Day 5
The photo above is the gompa’s big prayer wheel. I met the monk at Lamayuru Monastery last year. He spends most of his time in a meditation room (6 years so far) and is the only long-haired and long-bearded monk I’ve seen here. I gave him the pictures I took of him last year, as [...]
Ladakh Prayer Festival: Day 3
Today’s festival included a big chanting march around town at midday, but my photographic interests were indoors as usual here. (I like soft, darker light.) The nuns are finally getting used to me and I’ve made friends with two nuns in their late 40s/early 50s. One has a cleft lip, speaks no English, and is [...]
Ming Po
Ming Po is 86 years old and comes from Karsha village in Zanskar. She caught my eye the other morning while she was filling her yellow and green jugs at the neighborhood water tap. Like many places in India, Leh has a water shortage and residents without their own sources of water (most of the [...]
