"He who does not travel does not know the value of men." (Moorish Proverb)
~ From the “Songlines” by Bruce Chatwin, whose Spirit has been a guiding inspiration
NEPAL
In my life as a photographer and traveler, I have spent time throughout Asia. I have felt a profound affinity with the Asian sensibility and aesthetic awareness. It is, in many respects, where I am most comfortable. Working in places that are characterized as "third world" requires an acknowledgment of the propensity for exploitation, regardless of how unintended. To walk among people, for whom the norm is a meal of Dahl Bat-rice and boiled lentils- once a day, while carrying enough photo equipment to feed an entire family for three years, is humbling, so say the least. And to experience their happiness and lack of envy is truly joyous. I do not use anything other than a short lens, requiring me to be very close to the people I photograph. It is absolutely essential that I engage them with humility, in a spirit of collaboration. I am proud that I have never engendered hostility in those I have photographed.
I always travel alone. To be somewhere that I don't speak the language, and therefore can't filter reality through verbal experience is for me the greatest freedom. I am most myself- unencumbered by descriptive overlays, detached yet receptive, available to anything that crosses my path. To be mute, in effect, affords the greatest visual sensitivity.