Berney
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Berney
Max BerneyApril 18, 2019

Sacred Norms

Max BerneyApril 18, 2019
Sacred Norms
Max BerneyFebruary 28, 2019

THANAKA

Max BerneyFebruary 28, 2019
THANAKA
Max BerneyJanuary 15, 2019

CARGO

Max BerneyJanuary 15, 2019
CARGO
Max BerneySeptember 12, 2018

RABADI

Max BerneySeptember 12, 2018
RABADI
Sitting on temple steps in Amdo Tibet, I struggled to wrap my head around why these two ladies kept walking in circles. They looked so into something I couldn’t help image would just make me feel dizzy. Buddhists pilgrims chant mantras as they flip through prayer beads (malas) whilst walking around temples. Koras are the circumambulation of a sacred site and/or object and this Tibetan practice is believed to be the foundation for spiritual progress. Whether you’re walking around a famous temple or your neighborhood lake, you’re still calming yourself. And whether you’re chanting “Om mani padme hum” or singing “Touch the sky” you’re still working on enjoying being present.
The future has always kept me planning. Whether it’s defining what’s next for toilet bowl cleaners for work or browsing what remote destinations I want to explore for vacation, I’ve always struggled to just be here. Photography has taught me to find beauty in all that’s happening around me. It forces me to stop planning and be present. Finding something that helps you slow down removes all the anxieties we have surrounding life. We spend so much time worrying about what’s next that we could be spending enjoying right now.
Life’s not a race, so don’t treat it like one. Taking time out of your day to let thoughts come and go, helps you process how you’re doing and appreciate where you’re at. Whether it’s incense, yoga, or dancing; find something that works for you. If you can’t breathe in a 105 degree room while stretching, you’re probably not breathing... but jokes aside have fun exploring what works for you. Meditation shouldn’t be a daunting term. Re-framing it to taking the time to enjoy being present makes it much more approachable.
Empathy requires generosity and patience. To understand people different from us, we need to immerse ourselves in their world without any judgement. Our knowledge is the culmination of experiences we’ve had and had shared with us. We often assign false assumptions about people’s behavior and attitudes based on what we’ve seen or heard in our lives. It’s a big world and it can be tough to understand what we haven’t been exposed to. The more time we spend learning and sharing people’s stories, the better we can appreciate each other and grow ourselves.
Starting to pull together a series on street vendors I’ve come across over the last few years. Up to 80 percent of people in developing countries work in the informal economy. Exploring how photography can help us better understand and appreciate the realities of distant livelihoods.
Starting to pull together a series on street vendors I’ve come across over the last few years. Up to 80 percent of people in developing countries work in the informal economy. Exploring how photography can help us better understand and appreciate the realities of distant livelihoods.