Mini-review: "Motionless Journey" — an extraordinary photo book

Motionless Journey: From a Hermitage in the Himalayas by Matthieu Ricard:

Preface: This collection of photographs is an account of a motionless journey, the fruit of something that most photographers (including myself) rarely have the chance, the time, or even the inclination to do: to sit for a whole year, waiting for the right light.
Nor, indeed, was that my goal. I did not go into retreat to take photographs. Nevertheless, as I contemplated that sublime landscape from the early hours of the morning, well before dawn, until after nightfall, every now and then an extraordinary light would illuminate the vision evolving continually before my enchanted eyes. The scenes in this book, all taken from the terrace of my hermitage or within a few dozen yards from it, are the fruits of that long 'wait without waiting', and of the joy of witnessing the harmony of nature blending closely with the delight of meditation.

Introduction: From the terrace of my retreat hut, I can look out over the almost perfect circle of the horizon. Dominating the spread of the foothills, the majestic chain of the Himalayas stretches over 200 miles. To the east are the massifs of Everest, to the north those of Gaurishankar and Langthang, and to the north-west, far away, the Annapurnas.

Each of Matthieu Ricard's images is accompanied by quotes from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (to whom the book is dedicated), Shantideva, Milarepa, and others.

In addition to the extraordinary scenery in his images, the author pushes the limits of available light photography far beyond where many of us would venture forth. For those entranced by low light shooting, this is a portal into the possible. Matthieu's images are a feast for the eyes, and his paired quotes, a teaching by themselves.

Acknowledgments: ... The author's share of the proceeds of this book has been entirely donated to various humanitarian projects in Tibet, Nepal, India and Bhutan. To find out more about this work, please contact:
Dilgo Khyentse Fellowship
...
www.shechen.org
karuna-shechen.org

The photographs in this book are available as signed limited-edition prints.
For more details, please go to www.shechen.org

Available at Amazon and other fine book sellers.

Additional links:
Matthieu Ricard's website
and his gallery there.