Self-Portrait With Tibetan Mountain Men

Namche Bazaar, Solukhumbu, Nepal, Asia

Camera: Rolleiflex

The story:  "When I came across the small band of Tibetan mountain men in Namche Bazaar they were surrounded by a slew of decked-out western tourists. There was an unmistakable scent of raw energy filling the air around these rugged men. Everyone knew it, and wanted to capture it with their long lenses and high-powered cameras. The Tibetans had enough of the game and were on the edge of getting violent with the gadfly tourists. Eventually the message was understood. Left alone, the small band went back to business of organizing their wares (raw chunks of yak carcass) for the upcoming bazaar. I sat on the edge of the scene and just watched.

After a bit I pulled out my Rolleiflex "box camera" and lost myself in their world. A Tibetan boy noticed my concentration and came over wanting a look into the strange box that I found so captivating. One look was all it took. How did the mountains, or more importantly, how did his buddy with waving arms and all, get inside there? Soon everyone wanted to peer inside. "Television?" came the question. No, I explained, it was a very old camera, different from the other ones, and so was I. I pointed at a shiny tourist and then at my own well-worn garb. Tibetans love to laugh, and laugh we did. For over an hour we joked and played making silly faces, changing items of clothing, communicating. I photographed them and they photographed me. Then, once again returned the battery of tourists and their obtrusive cameras, this time I, too, was one of the animals."