The Dalai Lama, Dave Matthews, and photographer Matt Freedman

Back in April, Seeds of Compassion hosted the Dalai Lama for a series of events here in Seattle. The culmination was a concert with local resident, Dave Matthews. Tickets sold out in a flash and the city was buzzing with the presence of his holiness, the Dalai Lama.

Tomorrow, I have a meeting with photographer Matt Freedman. While the Dalai Lama was in town, Matt shot several of the events standing alongside photographers from the Associated Press, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. While brief, this blog entry is quite fascinating.

Recently, I've found myself at several events with high profile photographers. I prefer to fade into the background and watch them work. Then I snap out of it and remind myself that I'm on assignment too...and there's work to be done. But if given the chance, it's amazing to watch photographers in motion.

Matt's posted his photos from the Dalai Lama/Dave Matthews events, and I'm particularly interested in photos 67 - 70. Check out those lenses! Can you imagine carrying those beasts around?

Behind the scenes, there's a ton of work that goes into photographs that take your breath away. And having recently worked for a magazine, I've learned that art directors can make a big difference too. A lackluster layout can diminish even the most stunning photography.

To see more of Matt's work, check out his website. He's got some wonderful photos from Burning Man and new work on food & form called the La Figa Project.