for my Guru

Om tryambakam yajamahe sugandhim pustivardhanam
urvarukamiva bandhananmrtyormuksiya ma mrtat
Om sarvesam swastirbavatu sarvesam santirbhavatu
sarve bhavantu sukhinah sarve santu niramayah
sarve bhadrani pasyantu ma kaschid-duhkhabhag-bhavet
asato ma sad-gamaya
tamaso ma jyotirgamaya
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
Om purnamadah purnamidam purnat purnamudachyate
purnasya purnamadaya purnamevavasisyate

Om Shanti shanti shanti

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Cages.

The body is considered illusionary; something that comes and goes. The body can be considered a temporary abode, a vehicle for our true selves. So what then is our true nature? It is the light that shines within us, it is difficult to contemplate that our bodies, our toes our fingers are not really us, and until we come to this realization we remain in a cage. Our ego traps us like a little bird waiting to be set free. When we use the term 'Namaste,' or 'Om Namah Sivaya,' there is a much deeper meaning than just a greeting. We bow the head and form the prayer position with our hands in front of our heart centre, bowing the head signifying humility, 'I am humble' the hands are like a lotus bud opening; a sign of balanced energy. We are saluting each other, or more so recognizing the divine in each and every being. You are all auspicious beings and I salute each and every one of you.
Unity of all beings is essential to free us from our cages, balance the world, balance each being. The planet is small, we have to live together, the time has come for only unity to exist.
Om Namah Sivaya
Om Shanti
Peace to all.

Bliss Absolute.

As a flute of incense smoke rises, it creates a veil on what lies beyond. Where do the origins of this mystic, sweet smelling, wafting and magical veil lie. In the hearts of a man sitting behind a wheel waiting for a fare, in the hearts of a man waiting for the rubbish van to come and collect disregarded bits of card, plastic and glass, in the whispers of this land, where the rain gently falls, cleansing, nourishing, carrying the souls of generations to the tinker of wind chimes.
Gently it floats up and up, in no rush, no need to hurry, like a deep meditative dance, twisting in rhymes, unchanged by the world in which it now belongs, unaffected by what lies beyond, it is deep within itself, with its true nature, bliss absolute.

Images made in Tawain.

For Mum

no words, just for her.

Going back to the dark.

The sun is the giver of life, it nourishes us, grows our food, keeps us warm, without the sun there is no life. It is our source of light in our daily lives, bringing that light into our hearts.
In yoga we turn to the sun for our salutations, in yogic terms it awakens the solar aspects of an individuals nature and releases this vital energy for the development of higher awareness. Sun worship was one of mans first and most natural forms of inner expression.
In photographic terms, light is what we paint with, photography meaning painting with light, we use that light to express our creativity, our world, ourselves and our opinions. Traditionally we also need the dark to create the light, as we need the sun we need the moon.
Traditionally we stand in complete darkness to load our films which have been exposed through the camera in various degrees to the light. I don't think Fox Talbot or Daguerre considered themselves as radicals when the invention of photography came about in the 1800's. I don't think they would have had any idea of where photography would go looking from today's point of view. But I do think they were aware of the power of the new medium they brought to the world. Today keeping these depths of practice alive is crucial, how can we continue to grow if we don't know where our roots are, or where the seed comes from?
Once again I am going back to the dark, returning to the darkroom, teaching secondary students the trials and tribulations of black and white photography and the joys of working in the dark! I am excited to start this course, to see eyes wide as the first image starts to appear in the development tray, it's magic! As I walked into the darkroom, the first time I had been in, to this one, it was like a return home, everything seemed familiar even the smell. I haven't printed in a darkroom for four years and as I turned the enlarger on, agitated the developer tray back and forth it was like I haven't been away, a homecoming.
As we stretch our bodies in our sun salutations, we fall into meditation, as go I back to the same old processes I learnt so many years ago, it is the same and it feels good.
The image above is titled 'Light house' and was made in 1999 whilst at Brighton University; Editorial Photography.
Classes are on Tuesdays at Garden International School, Kuala Lumpur.

Who am I?

Who am I, something that exists between space and time, living in 3 states, the waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. How do I find who I am, the quality of my body is birth and death, I only need look in the mirror to see my fingers, my toes, but who am I? To find the answer I have to find who is asking the question, I have to go deep within, like looking at a lake there are many factors to consider, there are waves, plants and fish. Only when the waves are still, the plants and fish and other matter has been removed can we see clearly to the bottom, to our true selves to find our true nature. Something that is absolute existence should have no beginning and no end, like a river whose water flows from its source to its end, but you can see water wherever you stand on the river. I have learnt so much in India over the last 5 weeks or so, I tried to soak up as much as I could like a sponge and now will try to work out a way to share all that I learnt. Now the hard work starts!
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti,
Peace to all.

1 Year On

Kali Yuga, is a project I began on the 17th of Feb 2009, this image was made on the 17th of Feb 2010 and in fact it was with this work that I began this blog on March 13th 2009. Please refer back to that blog post for other images and a description of the work in more detail, but in brief, Kali Yuga looks at the age of destruction and then a transition stage into Dwapara Yuga a time of greater understandings and peace. In our time we have destroyed so much, have been so obsessed with technologies and progressions, in fact sometimes I feel we choose to be blind to the destruction we cause. However with destruction comes creation, maybe we have to almost destroy ourselves before we will again open our eyes and become gentle.
Looking at the sky I see so much energy, so much boundlessness and with such intensity of light and dark represents creation and destruction perfectly. This work has been shot on none other than a mobile phone, hence destroying the depth of photography, however is printed beautifully on fine art rag paper with much care and attention spent on it, hence the creation. As I reflect over the past years work, I find I have made images that maybe have something, although this body is 118 images strong, now I wish I had made an image every single day. All images are titled with the date they were taken, on some days there were more than one made, especially with a rapidly changing sky throughout the day here in Malaysia. Should I continue, my heart is saying that I should.
And as I think about the work it makes me realize how much waiting is involved with photography, maybe the days I didn't manage to make an image represents that waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for a project to take form and place, waiting for it to be good enough, people don't get to hear about the waiting part, or see it, but perhaps it is the most important part.
On Friday the 26th of Feb I am leaving home for India to embark on an intensive yoga course that lasts 31 days. I have been a practising yogi for the past 4 years, again waiting, waiting to be able to attempt a headstand, waiting for my fingers to be able to reach the floor without bending my knees, waiting for my body to be able to do what I would like it to do. But that is just it, we have to be mindful of our capabilities, bringing mind and body together, to be patient and to really take joy in the little progresses we make. It is a journey, a beautiful journey, both photography and yoga a look inward to ourselves and look outwards to the world around us, taking consideration and joy of what we find and trying to protect it.
You might be thinking how can one link yoga and photography, of that I'm not entirely sure myself, maybe India will enlighten me, but there are links in the things I have already mentioned, the waiting, the meditation and the process. But I do feel after a long time I am moving in the right direction and that is exciting to me.
I will have nowhere to use a computer at the Ashram I am going to, so this will be my last blog post for the next 5 weeks. In anticipation of all I will find and how much I will grow and we will see where this journey will take not only me but my photography also.
Om Shanti
Peace to all.