About Us

  Drala Image: Contemplative Arts and Photography explores and presents the contemplative arts and in particular contemplative photography. Drala is a Tibetan word that translates as “Ordinary Magic.”

  When eye, heart and world are in the same place at the same time, you see clearly, appreciate your life and your art is strong and vivid.

  In this context being contemplative is engaging the intrinsic harmony within your life situations which resonates with the Buddhist way of synchronization that establishes a being of peace or equanimity.

John McQuade is the founder of Nalanda Miksang Contemplative Photography (www.miksang.org) and AbsoluteEye: photography as Modern Art. (www.absoluteeye.org)

  He holds a PhD in phenomenology and has taught at many institutions such as Trent University, York University, the Omega Institute and the Haliburton School of Art.

  He is a long-time meditation student of the renown Buddhist and Shambhala Master Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. In this context, he is a certified meditation instructor, Shambhala Training teacher and Maitri Space awareness facilitator.

  He is the co-author of two books: Looking and Seeing and Heart of Photography.