I was not sure how I could possibly get an intimate composite of photos in such a short period of time when I visited Shasta Abbey last month.  But Reverend Berthold is a monk who also loves the still image, and he was exceptionally helpful in leading me around the grounds, introducing me to other monks, and showing me how they live day to day.

It was a lovely time, and I still think about many things from that short period of time I spent there.  The quiet rustling of pines, the quick and genuine smiles, the appreciation for the smallest pleasures.

Here is a link to the article that was run in the University of Washington’s magazine.  I will also send a CD of images to the monastery for their use, as I received this email from Reverend Berthold last week:

I thought the UW story and photos were great. A number of the people who have read it said that they felt it really captured us well, so thanks for your help with that. Given that our life is fairly non-standard, I don’t take it for granted that  someone can visit for such a short amount of time and be able to give a sense of us.