NICHOLAS VREELAND: Street Photography

Navigating Monsoons, Hubli, India
Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

(please double-click to enlarge!)

Lodi Gardens, Delhi, India

Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Lodi Gardens, Delhi, India

Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Nicholas Vreeland is a Buddhist monk who loves photography. He's had a long history on that front acquiring skills assisting Irving Penn and Richard Avedon, and from his friends Henri Cartier-Bresson and wife Martine Franck - before and after becoming a Buddhist monk. He is now a rather famous monk, having several titles. He is also known as Ven. Geshe Thupten Lhundup, a fully ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk, who is now the abbot of Rato Dratsang.

In May of 2012, the Dalai Lama gave Nicholas, then Director of The Tibet Center in New York, a daunting new assignment. He was enthroned as the new Abbot of Rato Monastery in southern India, one of the most important monasteries in Tibetan Buddhism. He is the first Westerner to hold the position as Khen Rinpoche.

 Nicholas Vreeland, Bodhgaya, India 1986

Photograph © Elizabeth Paul Avedon

Nicholas Vreeland (above as a novice monk) leaving to receive his full ordination bestowed by H.H. 14th Dalai Lama, early morning, December 1986, The Ashoka Hotel, Bodhgaya, India. Accompanied by Jamyang Chojor of Tibet, nephew of Khyongla Rato Rinpoche. Photograph © Elizabeth Paul Avedon.

 Nicholas Vreeland, Broadway, NY 2012

 Photograph © Elizabeth Paul Avedon

Nicholas Vreeland on his way to his solo photography exhibition at the Leica Gallery, Broadway, New York, 2012.

Nicholas Vreeland 

Photos For Rato (purchase prints)

Rato Dratsang Monastery, India

The Tibet Center, NY

@nvreeland on Instagram

RICHARD GERE: Pilgrim

 Giza, 2005

Courtesy of the Gere Foundation

Photograph (c) Richard Gere  

EA: Your photograph of the Pyramids and the South Pole (not shown) are like two jewels. I’ve never seen a photograph of the Pyramids from that angle before.

Richard Gere: I was in Cairo in 2005 on the way to the Middle East to meet His Holiness in Jordan, in the ancient stone-carved city of Petra. Elie Wiesel co-hosted “The Petra Conferences” with King Abdullah II of Jordan. They brought together Nobel Prize winners with distinguished social and political leaders. His Holiness was there and I was invited to come, but on the way there I was speaking at a conference of Arab women, "Women, Creativity, and Dissidence" in Cairo, Egypt, under the aegis of the Arab Women Solidarity Association (AWSA). I was there for a couple of days and I befriended one of the key archeologists.

I asked to get to the Pyramids early in the morning. I got there in the morning at dark and waited for the light to come up. We were way out in the desert. I took a lot of pictures. Somehow it was out and around, way on another side, and I could see the Pyramids were almost lining up. When the light was coming up, all the lines were converging and I just had to move maybe ten or twenty yards over, then all the lines created these planes. I’d never seen that angle in a photograph before either.

Richard Gere is represented by the Fahey/Klein Gallery, L.A.

Richard Gere, 108 Stupas

Erdene Zuu, Karakorum, Mongolia, 1995

  Photograph (c) Elizabeth Paul Avedon

 Richard Gere and Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, Bodh Gaya, India 1987 

Photograph (c) Elizabeth Paul Avedon

AMERICAN PHOTO MAGAZINE

 read Gere Foundation Foreword here

As I've lost most of the negatives from the photographs above and on the Gere Foundation site, click through for a last look before they disappear completely! – E.A.

A pilgrim is defined as a person who travels on long journeys. Richard Gere’s book of photographs, Pilgrim (published by Bulfinch Press, ISBN: 978-0821223222), is available from Amazon.com. All proceeds are donated to the Gere Foundation that supports humanitarian causes throughout the world. 

NICHOLAS VREELAND: Travels with a Monk

 Offering a scarf to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Color Portrait by Ven. Nicholas Vreeland

RETURN TO THE ROOF OF THE WORLD, Photo Exhibition, Taipei

Khyongla Rato Rinpoche and Ven. Nicholas Vreeland, Photographer and Abbot of Rato Monastery in Southern India, traveled to Hong Kong and Taipei where Vreeland's exhibition, "RETURN TO THE ROOF OF THE WORLD: A Photographic Exhibition by Nicholas Vreeland," of color portraits and black and white photographs is showing through February 28.

 Nicholas Vreeland Photo Exhibition, Taipei, February 2014

RETURN TO THE ROOF OF THE WORLD
A Photographic Exhibition by Nicholas Vreeland

February 14-28 2014

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

1F, M2, No. 1, Sec. 1, Bade Rd., Taipei, Taiwan

We went to see Master Guo Ru, Dharma Heir of Master Sheng Yen

Follow @nvreeland on Instagram

Follow @elizabethavedon on Instagram

NICHOLAS VREELAND: A Monk's Journal in Taiwan

 Life

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

 New Friends

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

View from our hostel... once the tallest building in the world

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

Khyongla Rato Rinpoche and Nicholas Vreeland, Abbot of Rato Dratsang

NicholasVreeland.com

NICHOLAS VREELAND: A Monks Journal Preparing for HH Dalai Lama Visit

 Little Ones Study

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

 

 Manooj's Painting Team
Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

 Tashi Milks and Cares for Our Buffalo

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

 

 

Monks Polishing

 Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

Workman, Studio Portrait

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland
 

Workmen

 Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

 The Monks of Rato Monastery, Mundgod, Karnataka, India

 Photographer Nicholas Vreeland (2nd row, center)

"Here we prepare for a visit from His Holiness. All hands are on deck." Buddhist monk and Photographer, Nicholas Vreeland, is the Abbot of Rato Monastery, Mundgod, India. Read more about Vreeland in the Washington Post here.

Robert Delpire selected twenty black and white Fine Art photographs by Nicholas Vreeland taken over the 24 years he has been a Rato monk. Each image, signed and numbered, is part of a limited edition of 25 that are on sale to raise money to support Rato Monastery. Purchase 'Photos For Rato' online here

THE LEICA CAMERA BLOG: An Interview With Nicholas Vreeland

The Nechung Medium and Dog, Dharamsala, India, 1979
Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

Q: The Oskar Barnack Room contains five very large color portraits from the 1970’s that you shot with a 5×7 camera. Can you tell us something about your experience with the large format?

A: I went to India with an old wooden 5×7 view camera and a lot of sheets of black and white film. A friend insisted that I take along some color sheets as well. At each sitting, I’d expose a sheet or two of color and the color turned out to be magnificent. Shooting in large format established a very different rapport between my subjects and myself. I was photographing some of the greatest living Tibetan Buddhist masters. The slow formal quality of the view camera process helped me to photograph them respectfully.– from the LEICA CAMERA BLOG Interview

Nicholas Vreeland and Elizabeth Avedon, Bodh Gaya, India, 1985
Photograph (c) All Rights Reserved

"In terms of my work as a monk-photographer, I feel that I’m photographing the extraordinary world in which I live, whether I’m in New York City, in my teacher’s home in New Jersey, my monastery India or in Tibet." – from the LEICA CAMERA BLOG Interview

Vreeland on the way to his Leica Gallery exhibition, NYC, 2011.
Photograph (c) Elizabeth Paul

Self Portrait, Rato Monastery, India
Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland

Q: ...your images transcend those of a typical travel photographer: they have a dimension, a spiritual dimension, and a sense of congruity because they represent the two parts of your life that are tied together?

A: They are two sides of my life that have begun to be brought into harmony with each other. Many years ago, I didn’t feel they were congruent. In fact, initially I didn’t even have a camera in the monastery. And when I was given one, I kept it locked in “Pandora’s box."– from the LEICA CAMERA BLOG Interview

LEICA CAMERA BLOG
Nicholas Vreeland Interview
"Capturing Photographs to Honor and Preserve His World"

More about Vreeland's exhibition Return to the Roof of the World
on La Lettre de la Photographie

NICHOLAS VREELAND: "Return To The Roof of The World" Leica Gallery June 4th Last Day!

Circumambulation, Labrang Tashi Kyil, Amdo, Tibet

Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Monks, Labrang Tashi Kyil, Amdo, Tibet
Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

(l) Novice Monk, Labrang Tashi Kyil, Amdo, Tibet, 2003.
(r) Senior Monk, Wato Monastery, 2003
Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Debate, Sera Monastery, Lhasa, Tibet, 2003
Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Guard Dog at the entrance to HH Dalai Lama's Birthplace, Takser, Tibet
Photograph © Nicholas Vreeland

Nicholas Vreeland Exhibition
Leica Gallery • 670 Broadway • NYC

+ + +

Return To The Roof of the World
Photographs by Nicholas Vreeland
Curated by Elizabeth Avedon
April 22 - June 4

+ + +

La Lettre de la Photographie: Nicholas Vreeland
www.nicholasvreeland.com

RICHARD GERE: Talks About Photography in La Lettre de la Photographie's Weekend Agenda

Giza, 2005
Courtesy of the Gere Foundation
Photograph (c) Richard Gere

Cairo, 2010
Courtesy of the Gere Foundation
Photograph (c) Richard Gere

I was in this old Mosque and I just turned to my left and that shot was there. All the angles were right, all the lines were moving, everything was right. All I had to do was take a half step to my left. Everything lined up and I knew that was it. That was the shot...That’s a very complicated photograph; the dark areas, light areas, white against black, black against white. It’s very complicated and that’s a very straight...digital print made for me by John Paul Caponigro at his place up in Maine. – Richard Gere, Le Journal de la Photographie 4.30.2011

Cover Photograph: Pilgrim, Zansker, 1983
Pilgrim, Bulfinch Press, 1997

Richard’s photographs from “Pilgrim” are clearly made from the heart. They are not only pictures that you are informed by – but they are images you feel. Richard’s images speak to our soul by exuding spirituality, compassion, and atmosphere. Richard’s “Pilgrim” photographs formed by his experiences, defines what he represents, and documents his social, spiritual, and cultural encounters. The underlining thread of his photographs is his fondness for the people of Tibet as well as his extraordinary ability to document the livelihood of the enduring people who reside within these unfamiliar and mysterious places with dignified simplicity. – David Fahey, Fahey/Klein Gallery

Lobsang Tenzing, Daramsala, 1981
Photograph © Richard Gere, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles

Ulan Bator (The Arrival of His Holiness), Mongolia, 1995
Photograph © Richard Gere, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles

Angels, Shekar Monastery, Tibet, 1993
Photograph © Richard Gere, Courtesy of Fahey/Klein Gallery, Los Angeles

There are usually three shots. If it’s a difficult light situation like this where the shutters going to be open one, two, three seconds – from my own experience of my work, one of those three is going to be the one I want. It’s not always that one is sharper than another; whatever it is, one’s going to feel right to me if I do three of them. Sometimes it’s so dark, I can’t even see it, and I’m just sensing that there’s something there. There’s one in particular I took in a Monastery. It’s these two angels that are hovering there. (Angels, Shekar Monastery, Tibet, 1993) I could barely see anything when I took that shot, but I knew that the shot was there and I knew I had to take it “now.” – Richard Gere, Le Journal de la Photographie 4.30.2011

Le Journal de la Photographie, 4.30.11

Photography can open a doorway that can lead us into a new world, expands our horizons, and shows us exciting and challenging possibilities. Richard’s photographs allow us to engage the world and renew our perspective by reinterpreting what we think we know – leading us through that doorway. – David Fahey, Fahey/Klein Gallery

+ + +

I spoke with Richard Gere for Le Journal de la Photographie about his photographs, his book and exhibitions, and about his extensive photography collection...read the entire Interview here

Le Journal de la Photographie

CLIVE ARROWSMITH: HH The Dalai Lama

His Holiness 14th Dalai Lama
Photograph (c) Clive Arrowsmith/All Rights Reserved

Khyongla Rato Rinpoche
Photograph (c) Clive Arrowsmith/All Rights Reserved

Layout from Clive Arrowsmith 's future book of Portraits

Photograph (c) Clive Arrowsmith/All Rights Reserved

London based photographer Clive Arrowsmith was in NYC attending The Dalai Lama's Teachings. The Tibet Center, founded by Khyongla Rato Rinpoche (in Clive's portrait above), hosted His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Teachings in NYC in partnership with Richard Gere's organization, Healing the Divide.

+

Some excellent posts on Tricycle Magazine's blog describe each days Dalai Lama Talks at Radio City Music Hall this past week. Tricycle: Day 1 & 2 and Tricycle: Day 3. Also on the Tricycle blog is a not to be missed Video Interview with Jeff Bridges and Bernie Glassman

+

Sitting in front of Jessica Hines and I at HH The Dalai Lama's Public Talk at Radio City Music Hall was American Composer Marvin Hamlisch and sitting behind us– Jon Bon Jovi!

RICHARD GERE: HH The Dalai Lama in NYC

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, West Bengal, 1996
Photograph (c) Richard Gere /All Rights Reserved

Ulan Bator (The Arrival of His Holiness), Mongolia, 1995
Photograph (c) Richard Gere /All Rights Reserved

Arms With Mala, 1996
Photograph (c) Richard Gere /All Rights Reserved

HH THE DALAI LAMA, NYC

Richard Gere's organization, Healing the Divide, and The Tibet Center, founded by Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, are hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings in New York City May 20th, 21st, and 22nd. HH will teach Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta (download text here in English, Mandarin and Tibetan), and A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by Shantideva. www.dalailamany.org. Purchase Tickets

PHOTOGRAPHS BY RICHARD GERE FAHEY/KLEIN GALLERY

H.H. THE DALAI LAMA: An Enlightening Experience May 20-22 Radio City Music Hall

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Photograph (c) Nicholas Vreeland/All Rights Reserved

In partnership for the fifth time, The Tibet Center and Healing the Divide are privileged to host His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to New York City. On May 20th, 21st, and 22nd, His Holiness will impart three days of Teachings on Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Bodhicitta (download text here in English, Mandarin and Tibetan), and A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, by Shantideva. Read more: www.dalailamany.org

+ + +

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has received over eighty-four awards, medals, and honorary doctorates, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, in recognition of his message of compassion, peace, non-violence, interfaith understanding, and universal responsibility. His Holiness has also authored over seventy books, including An Open Heart, Ethics for the New Millennium, and The Universe in a Single Atom.

TRAVEL NOTES: Khyongla Rato Rinpoche

Richard Gere and Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, with HH the Dalai Lama's senior tutor, Kyabje Ling Rinpoche (embalmed body d. 1983), Dharamsala, India 1988. Photograph (c) Elizabeth Paul Avedon /All Rights Reserved

A Monk's PhotoJournal: December 2009

Greetings From The Mountains In Taiwan

Photograph (c) 2009 Nicholas Vreeland /All Rights Reserved

Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, Taiwan
Photograph (c) 2009 Nicholas Vreeland /All Rights Reserved

Rato Dratsang Foundation
The Gere Foundation