I have photographed His Holiness the Dalai Lama for more than thirty years. The first time was in the mid-1980s in New York, when I was still new to America and to photography, and when I was invited to accompany Him in a close capacity — first as part of His personal security, later as His photographer for visits in this country.

The Office of Tibet has used my pictures for their records. Tibet.net, the Central Tibetan Administration’s news service, has carried them over the years. He is the teacher of my life and of my generation, and photographing Him has been, for me, a form of practice. These photographs are a small selection from a much larger body of work accumulated over decades.