Photo Gallery 1: People

This gallery of portraits represents a combination of photographs taken for personal pleasure, and also as promotional material for several individuals pictured. While I have been behind the camera most of my life, in the last four years my interest in photography has finally taken a central place in my creative work. Originally trained as a painter, my interest has always been the human figure, and photographing friends, family, and clients brings me the most pleasure.

Playful situations and more challenging shoots are blended in this collection of images. As I work, the element of suprize is my constant companion, because today, even with the amazing technology of my Canon Mark II N, I cannot fully trust the LCD that promises me instant understanding of my photos. The first few journeys into the digital darkroom, using Photoshop and Capture One are for triage and sorting - and only when I get into the "yes" folder - do I get a working understanding of the qualities of each image. Then my process becomes more painterly in method as I seek to understand the potential for each image, learning to accept the inherent limitations of each decent shot, and slowly devising a plan as I sift through the pixels to create something I admire. Not all photographs are that complicated, but for some reason, the digital realm is much more complicated to work with, than the world of film.

Some of the subjects in this gallery include my guru Amma Sri Karunamayi, sacred dance performer Asha, my friend and Ayurvedic educator Daniel Bastacky, authoress and lecturer Bertice Berry, and my Ayurveda guru Dr. Light Miller.

Photo Gallery 2: Happenings

Event photography, even more than portraits, has required me to understand an individual I am working with in a far more systematized way. This is because often an event requires standard shots that establish the location and the audience, capture the performer's unique moments, and serve as historical documents such as when an award is given. Due to most locations having poor lighting, crowds in the way, or other challenges shooting events has also taught me to expand my awareness and shoot rapidly.

Because of my lifelong personal interest in Eastern spirituality and the fine arts, the majority of events I have photographed are programs with Indian classical dance, and spiritual programs.

Photo Gallery 3: Locations

During my training in ancient Indian Ayurvedic methods of detoxification and regeneration, called Pancha Karma, I studied at Villa Ananda, an Ayurvedic Spa in Mexico. North of Puerto Vallarta, Villa Ananda is a beautifully designed facility where every detail has been attended to. The location, architecture, gardens, and design motifs inspired me to take location photography seriously.

We would give and recieve Pancha Karma treatments all day, and in the late afternoons I would try to capture the beauty and healing essence I experienced during the day. I wrote about this experience in my blog Studying Ayurveda. While I was at Villa Ananda, the spirit of location photography awakened in me as a natural participation with the environment.

Photo Gallery 4: Formations

Product photography, specifically of Indian spiritual figurines and beaded malas is a way I donate my skills as a photographer in spiritual service to humanity. Through these sacred items sold at the AmmaStore funds are raised for Amma Sri Karunamayi's charitable and humanitarian projects, which include a free hospital and school serving impoverished rural villagers in Andhra Pradesh, India.

In addition to raising funds for charity, the sacred items are used by meditators and yogis. By providing tools for these lightworkers, the awareness and spiritual vibrations on the planet are nurtured and raised. And for myself, as both a photographer, yogi, and healer, creating images from statues of Ganesh and other deities is a meditation in itself. Coming into contact with so many of these sacred objects is a rich experience that I treasure.