Contemplative photographer based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
I was born in California and raised in the foothills of North Carolina, where my love for quiet reflection and connection with the natural world began to take root. After twenty years serving as a university chaplain, I’ve shifted my focus toward what I find most meaningful: helping people slow down, wake up, and reconnect—with themselves and the world around them.
As a certified mindfulness educator, photography instructor, and ordained Buddhist layperson, I work with individuals who want to:
Stay grounded in the present moment through accessible, powerful mindfulness practices
Manage stress and anxiety by learning to regulate their emotions with kindness
Deepen self-awareness and integrate thoughts, feelings, and emotions
Improve focus and productivity in both personal and professional settings
Transform and heal self-limiting patterns and behaviors
Photography is a natural extension of my mindfulness practice. I’m drawn to the quiet, often-overlooked beauty of everyday life—what some might call ordinary or mundane. My work is deeply influenced by the Nalanda Miksang tradition of contemplative photography—Miksang meaning “good eye” in Tibetan. I’ve had the privilege of studying with the tradition’s master teachers for many years, and I continue to find joy in helping others discover the profound stillness and clarity that comes from truly seeing.
In contemplative photography, we slow down.
In a world driven by speed and ambition, it’s easy to get swept up in the rush toward the next thing—the next task, the next achievement. But in doing so, we often miss the quiet beauty of the journey unfolding right in front of us. Contemplative photography invites us to pause, breathe, and truly see—not with our thoughts, but with our eyes and heart.
At the core of this practice is a simple but profound distinction: thinking and seeing are not the same. Thinking filters the world through concepts and ideas. Seeing, on the other hand, meets the world directly—just as it is, fresh and unfiltered.
As Henri Cartier-Bresson, the master of the decisive moment, once said:
“Technique is important only insofar as you must master it in order to communicate what you see… In any case, people think far too much about techniques and not enough about seeing.”
When I pick up my Leica M3, M4, or M6, I try to let go of expectations. I pause. I breathe. I fill the frame with whatever stopped me in my tracks—no more, no less. In a spirit of gratitude, I receive the image. I don’t take or capture it. I let it come to me.
Sometimes I return home with a handful of images I truly love. Other times, none at all. But each photo walk is its own reward—a practice in presence, in seeing, in simply being.
