A few people have asked for my impression of the past few days with His Holiness The Dalai Lama.  I’m having some difficulty processing the experience – not just because of the spiritual elements, but more because it was an incredibly intricate and rich experience that juxtaposed the very personal with the extremely public.  I found HH to be incredibly gentle, calm & happy yet continually thrust into a world of hyper-celebrity.  And it has been that way every day for the past seventy years.  Most people would tire of the experience or become cynical.  Not him.  As a photographer, I’m very keen on observing the eyes of my subject – not only as a focal point but also to know when the time is right to capture the moment.  I can see the truth in people’s eyes.  I was a within a few feet of HH for many, many hours.  I never saw anything but compassion, curiosity, and love.  Not once.