Yogini Hanny Chandra in Añjali Mudrā

My last days living in New Olreans were spent preparing for my big move to NYC, and getting in some final NOLA YOGA PHOTO Project portrait sessions. Many of those sessions have yet to be edited and posted, but this session with Hanny Chandra, which was the last session I did, is getting special treatment since it is a paid assignment (the rest will be coming soon!).

I got a call from Hanny’s boyfriend William a couple weeks before. He lives in Austin and she in NYC, and they were planning a rendezvous in New Orleans. She loves yoga and he thought it would be nice to surprise her with a photo session. I delayed my departure by two days to accommodate this happening, and am glad I did because it was a wonderful experience, and it turned out I needed some extra time to tie up loose ends anyway. The universe is always looking out for me. Give thanks.

Yogi Derek Goodwin photographing yogini Hanny Chandra – photo by boyfriend William Sandler

William arranged for Hanny to come to a Swan River yoga class with my teacher Keith Porteous, which I was also attending. It was a special class for me because I was saying goodbye to Keith. At the end of class William introduced me to Hanny and she was wonderfully surprised to find out about her gift. We took some initial photos at the Swan River Mid City Mandir while William took his motorcycle to bring us coffee. Not sure how he managed that but I was duly impressed.

William had the idea to have Hanny pose on his motorcycle so we tried some fun stuff with that, and then moved on to City Park to get some really wonderful images there. Hanny told me that she is not comfortable having her picture taken but she was actually one of the most fun and experimental subjects I have worked with.

The other neat aspect to this story is that Hanny lives in NYC (and practices at the Yoga Room) so I will have the opportunity to photograph her some more in the big apple. What a wonderful world!

Thanks Hanny & William, for the fun time and amazing images!

Mardi Gras is an epic time in New Orleans, no matter how much one tries to avoid getting caught up in it. This year I have been struggling with money and had no fancy costume or big plans other than to work a lot at my job with NOLA Pedicabs and make lots of money to get caught up on my bills with.

My father once said, “man plans, god laughs.” Well for sure we all get caught in the cosmic giggle. I am a bad ass on a bicycle but as it turns out my dharma is not to haul drunk people around New Orleans for a living. The 2nd Saturday before Mardi Gras was to be my first big money-making day because there were tourists and parades, but mama nature had other plans and chilled us the fuck out to about 35 degrees so that not even the drunkest of drunks were getting in my cab. After 8 hours all I had to show for my toils was the beginnings of a two-week long throat cold.

The night before that was pretty awesome though, as I got to go photograph the  Apocalypse Ball - an annual benefit for the Louisiana Himalaya Association (LHA.) (a volunteer-staffed, non-profit organization dedicated to international social work with Tibetan Refugees in the Himalayan regions of India and Nepal). This year the ball was held at Studio 3 on Toulouse Street. I danced my ass off, had my face painted like a sugar skull from the Day of the Dead, and flirted with all kinds of beautiful people. I would like to thank my friends Kate and Trishell for getting me in as photographer.

Candy Skullface Pashupa at the Apocalypse Ball

So back to this pedicab thing. I have been entertaining my yoga students with my pedicab tales for a while now, how I would go out for hours and not make any money. How the pedicab-pep talk would always turn to how much we were going to make over Mardi Gras. As my bills piled up and I ate peanut butter sandwiches to survive I wondered a lot about my karma and my dharma.

Mardi Gras means ‘Fat Tuesday’, and it is traditionally a final celebration of gluttony before Christians fast for Lent (on Ash Wednesday). The fasting traditionally lasts 40 days to honor Jesus’ time in the desert chatting with Satan. Hungry Christians are exempt on Sundays, which are mini-Easters. Easter ends the fast. (random fact: I was born on Easter in 1967, therefore I am an Easter expert). Traditionally Christians fast from meat, dairy and eggs during Lent. St. Thomas of Aquinas thought eating animal flesh gave people more nourishment and “greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust.” Kind of gross if it was true, but fortunately/unfortunately eating animal proteins tends to make men impotent instead. Not that anyone you will meet on Bourbon Street would know or care, but there you have it, ignorant ideas that have evolved through the ages and are still with us.

I was signed up for pedicab shifts from Thursday through Tuesday, culminating Mardi Gras night. Friday night my cold from the week before, which I considered past me, came back with a vengeance. I lost my voice and could only work for about 3 hours before my headache became unbearable, long enough to make the money I had to pay NOLA Pedicabs for using the bike for the night. I paid them off and went home to rest. Saturday it rained all day and night, and I did not work. Sunday I went back to work and did OK even though my voice sounded like a squeaky mouse. Monday (Lundi Gras) I actually made a bit of money.

Here are some photo highlights for your enjoyment

Tuesday I spent the daylight hours with the Society of St. Anne, my favorite Mardi Gras parade. It isn’t a super-organized parade with floats and all the gross excess of bead throwing, but rather a meandering gaggle of costumed freaks heading from the Bywater to the French Quarter, passing through the Marigny, stopping at bars, being joined by brass bands and psychedelic portable DJ contraptions, spontaneous dance parties, and run-on sentences disguised as journalism.

After a beautiful sunny day spent with my lovely freaks, I left to go work my night away on a pedicab. On the way to the shop I got a call from NYC, which turned out to be Ganeshadas from Jivamukti Yoga setting up a job interview with me the next day. A sure mood-lifter impeccably timed by that same universe known for cosmic giggles.

Suffice it to say that after about 4 hours of being harassed by drunks on the back of my pedicab I put enough faith in that same universe to quit my job for the night and head home for some well-deserved rest. Money seemed less and less important the more I thought about it. And I like peanut butter well enough. I will still eat it now that I have been hired to move to NYC and become the web editor for Jivamukti’s soon-to-be-released web site. Life is good and so am I.

Here are lovely slideshows of my glorious photos

Precious the cow at Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY Credit: Derek Goodwin

Christmas is a time to say “I love you.” While it is nice to say it to other humans, we have all heard it so much it is nearly meaningless. Cows, on the other hand, don’t get to hear it enough. If they did, they wouldn’t understand your tiny mouth noises anyway. But if we truly did love cows, then everyone would be vegan. Or at least not eat, milk, or human-ually impregnate cows.

Some people confuse sex for love. Perhaps that is why in the dairy industry people are paid to artificially inseminate cows. In these times it is hard to find a job, and some of us turn to sex work, that is just a common reality. First the sperm has to be collected. This is done by a human, who uses an ‘artificial vagina’ to collect the seminal fluid. If you are curious how this is done check out this video. Next, another human dons a long latex glove and inserts his arm into a real cow’s vagina and squirts a bit of sperm into the cow. If you are curious how this is done, here is another video. In case you are wondering, cows need to be impregnated every year to produce milk, and this is how the majority of cows get knocked-up.

This is not the ideal vision of a white Christmas, and Jesus probably would not have approved. Some Christians worry that if same-sex marriage is allowed it will lead to humans marrying animals. Yet every time a Christian drinks a glass of milk or eats some cheese they are practically paying someone to engage in sexual acts with a cow or a bull. Sex without marriage, as we know, is a sin. Either we should quit drinking bovine mammary secretions, or allow people to marry whomever they like. This would create lots of jobs in the wedding industry, and offer alternatives for sex workers who want to change careers.

For the record, the Vegan Examiner of New Orleans officially condones same-sex marriages and condemns bestiality. That is just how he rolls. Many people say they condemn bestiality, but then eat animal products produced through such practices. Domestic turkeys, for instance, can no longer mate naturally because of breeding and genetic manipulations that have grown their breasts too big for coital contact. Some humans may have reached these proportions as well, of their own accord. But let’s not go there.

It is best to express your love for animals non-sexually. Take, for instance, the band The New Hot 5. While none of them are known to be vegan, and although they play New Orleans Jazz but don’t live in New Orleans, they still have at least once been nice to cows. They went all the way to France to play When the Saints Go Marching In for some cows (see “Jazz for Cows” video attached to this article), who seem to genuinely appreciate it. No one knows what the band had for dinner that night, but we can be hopeful they might have thought twice about eating cow flesh.

If you would like to do something nice for a cow this Christmas, how about helping a cow out at an animal sanctuary? Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary offers animal adoptions, where you can pay a monthly donation to help out one of the critters living there. The national organization Farm Sanctuary offers the same. These can be given as gifts, and come with photos of the animal and other benefits. The biggest benefit being that you are helping to raise awareness about animal exploitation.

This holiday season, say “NO” to bestiality, and choose to eat vegan. Leave your outlandish comments below.

Laura & Stefan with a gorgeous autumn backdrop

Laura & Stefan got married at the Bucksteep Manor in Washington, MA. They had a sweet & intimate ceremony with their friends and family, some of whom gave heartfelt testimonials about the strength & beauty of their relationship. Laura’s family is from Argentina, and much of the ceremony was spoken or translated into Spanish. There were also Jewish elements, making for a nice multi-cultural experience.

Five Flower Girls

There were lots of kids at the event, creating a fun atmosphere. Laura’s daughter Sophie was especially wonderful, full of wisdom and thoughtfulness that seemed beyond her age. Much of the sentiments shared during the ceremony and reception were spoken with her in mind, which was beautiful to witness.

Stefan and Laura feed each other wedding cake

Stefan and Laura lifted in their chairs during the Hora dance

Thank you Laura and Stefan for choosing me as your photographer, I wish you many years of happiness and love! The entire wedding can be viewed here.

Kara & Tom on the beach

I met Kara and Tom at a friend’s wedding I photographed last year. After deciding to hire me as their photographer we got together for an engagement photography session that yielded splendid results and helped us get to know each other better.

Kara and Tom with their furry companion at the McClean Game Refuge in Connecticut

Kara & Tom decided to get married on Block Island, where they had already spent some special times together. I had not been to the island before, and was blown away by the beauty of the place. I took the Block Island Ferry from Naragansett, RI to get there, and got to see the island change from a speck on the horizon into a giant mass of land rising up from the water, with beaches and cliffs and quaint little tourist attractions. And the wonderful smell of the ocean.

Detail of Kara's dress & bouquet

The ceremony & reception were held at the 1661 Inn. It was a cozy place, perfect for the size of the weddings. It was also close enough to the beach and the ocean to make for some nice backgrounds. Kara & Tom took me to a lighthouse, some cliffs, and a beach for the bride & groom portraits. As the sun descended on the horizon we all got our feet wet in the ocean and on the pier where we captures some of my favorite photographs from the day.

the kiss

At the lighthouse

I photographed Jeremy & Christina's wedding last year, where I met Kara & Tom

I love this family candid

The bride and groom kissing on the pier

Thank you Kara & Tom, for a great wedding and making me feel a part in your special day. I hope you have many years of love and growing together.

Enjoy the slideshow below to see my favorite photos. For the complete wedding click here.

Audrey & Scot had a wonderful wedding ceremony and reception in Montague, MA. The ceremony was held at the Montague Grange, a 175 year old building that has recently been renovated. The couple’s friend let them borrow his vintage 1964 Thunderbird Convertible to use for photographs and to drive themselves to the reception in. Hopefully they got to take it for a joyride since the reception was right down the road at the Montague Night Kitchen, below the famous Montague Bookmill (books you don’t need in a place you can’t find).

We had fun posing for pictures with the Thunderbird in the center of town on the commons, with historic buildings in the background. I was dreaming of a vegan burger joint with waitstaff on roller skates to use as a backdrop, but so far no such enterprise exists in Montague.

Scot & Audrey with their bridal party and the 1964 Thunderbird

The decorations for the wedding were all made by Audrey and “her girls”, and I must say they were very stylish and classy. The ceremony was Pagan, and the Grange was decorated in white that photographed beautifully. The reception hall was decorated in yellows and pinks, which matched the bridesmaids dresses and the Thunderbird. It made for some fun and colorful photographs.

Thanks Audrey & Scot, for the wonderful day and for choosing me to be your photographer. I wish you many years of happiness and inspiration.

Below is a slideshow of my favorite photos. To see all of the photos click the slideshow or this link.

getting some love from Grace at the 2011 Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down

Every year in Watkins Glen, NY there is an event that turns the quiet little town into a bustling mecca of vegandom. The Glen is known to many as a NASCAR hot spot, or perhaps a place to get buzzed while buzzing around between wineries, but for those looking to have a deeper experience the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down is something truly special.

I arrived on Friday night and set up my tent and then hung out by the camp fire, serenading myself and whoever else wanted to listen with my ukulele. I was so happy to be at the farm after a long absence that I stayed up till almost 4 a.m. I made some new friends and hung out beneath my old friends, the moon and stars.

Saturday at the Hoe Down offered a fine line-up of vegan speakers and workshops, which this year included Crazy Sexy Cancer survivor (or thriver, as she would say) Kriss Carr, vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, Farm Sanctuary co-founder Gene Baur, sanctuary animal caregiver Susie Coston,  FS Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives Bruce Friedrich, humane educator Zoe Weil, author Victoria Moran, cooking demos, and more.

At night the farm transformed into one of the best vegan parties around. The transition period included a cocktail hour with live music, a showing of the documentary Forks Over Knives, and a Hilda Club tour to visit the critters on the farm around twilight (a magical time on the farm). Gene Baur gave a presentation on his trip across the country in the VW van that he once sold veggie dogs at Grateful Dead concerts from to finance the farm. Kindfood from Ontario presented Gene with a beautiful cake to commemorate Farm Sanctuary’s 25th anniversary.

cake by Kindfood in Ontario commemorating Farm Sanctuary's 25th anniversary

Once darkness was firmly established the contra dancing began in the People Barn, and the crazy vegans started to let loose. Soon after a live DJ took over and the rowdy dancers shook the rafters of the barn, earning the right to call this party a hoe down. Simultaneously another camp fire began outside for those who didn’t want to dance, or who needed to take a break to roast their vegan marshmallows. That fire went on long after I fell asleep exhausted.

Most of us camped in tents and we all enjoyed big meals served on the deck of the People Barn. Sunday morning featured a yoga class led by Katya Burns, a coffee talk with the Farm Sanctuary staff, and breakfast. I got to spend some time with Gene and Susie out on the farm, and recorded an interview for an upcoming episode of Vegan Radio. By lunch there were torrential downpours, whose melodious pitter-patter struck a soothing symphony on the tin roof of the People Barn. I had to pack my tent up during the deluge, so I got a free shower before my ride home, which my fellow travelers appreciated. I am so blessed to be part of this vegan revolution.

Be sure to check out my new galleries of sanctuary farm animals. You can click this link to see only the photos I added to the galleries from the Hoe Down.

Here are my favorite photos from the event on flickr:

I am happy to announce that the publisher of the book Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs (featuring some of my farm animal photographs) has won an “Ippy” (Independent Publishers Award). Coincidentally coinciding with this event I have created new galleries of my farm animal photographs where my fans and admirers can view & purchase the photos featured in the book as well as other gorgeously stunning photographs of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, goats, sheep, ducks and other lovely critters.

Ninety-Five, the latest book by non-profit publisher No Voice Unheard, has won the Gold Medal in the Animals/Pets category of the Independent Publishers Awards (referred to in the publishing industry as an “IPPY Award”). The IPPY’s “bring increased recognition to the deserving but often unsung titles published by independent authors and publishers.” The award ceremony took place on Monday, May 23, 2011 in New York City during Book Expo America.

Brimming with beautiful, full-color photographs, Ninety-Five is a compilation of work by vegan photographers and writers, telling the captivating stories of farmed animals living in sanctuaries and homes across the country. From Justice, the steer who broke out of a truck on the way to the slaughterhouse and who is now the self-appointed greeter at the sanctuary where he lives, to bold and irrepressible Lucas, a pig desperately infatuated with Petunia (the feeling isn’t mutual, but that doesn’t deter him), to Amelia, the turkey anxious to share a hug with her photographer. Their stories are compelling, enlightening, and always moving.

Released last year, thousands of copies of Ninety-Five are already in circulation, causing readers to reevaluate their assumptions about farmed animals. Animal advocates have adopted the book as a personal outreach tool, giving it as a gift to friends and family to “show them why I’m veg.” They are also keeping copies on their desk or coffee table and spreading the animals’ stories via social media. Writes one advocate: “I have been able to get 30 copies in schools and libraries throughout my county. Working on churches next.” (No Voice Unheard offers a special “Giving Package” for such outreach, which includes five copies of the book at a deeply discounted price.)

Farmed animal advocacy organizations are also using the book to educate and fundraise, from the sanctuaries included in the book to organizations as far away as Australia and the UK. According to Diane Leigh, No Voice Unheard co-founder, “For every person who reads Ninety-Five and decides to adopt a vegan diet, we know that approximately 95 animals are spared – hence the title of the book. We publish to honor animals and eliminate suffering; that is our ultimate goal.”

Ninety-Five previously received an Eric Hoffer Book Award, which “honors the memory of the great American philosopher Eric Hoffer by highlighting salient writing, as well as the independent spirit of small publishers.”

No Voice Unheard is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) independent publisher whose previous titles include the highly regarded One at a Time: A Week in an American Animal Shelter and Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos, by Derrick Jensen.

Ninety-Five is available through my website as well as the usual places you might find books. Please check out the galleries of my farm animal photographs on my new SmugMug pages, and show a starving artist some love. I will be adding new images and galleries throughout my foreseeable future.

Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals in Stories and Photographs

This year I had the pleasure of traveling to Tanglewood in the Berkshires to photograph the wedding of Mark & Arend, two musicians from Boston whose relationship has been intertwined with the famous performance space. As with most of this summer, there was a chance of rain, but the skies held out and made for a beautiful day and soft light to photograph with. From the musical performances during the ceremony to the beautiful flower arrangements, everything went smoothly and the families and friends had a great time.

Two weeks after the wedding the state of New York passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in the state. NY is the largest state to legalize gay weddings, and the hope is that it will influence other states across the country to do the same. So far only Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as the District of Columbia, allow such basic equal rights. Kudos to Governor Andrew Cuomo for making the bill one of his top priorities.

It is our duty as human beings to question the culture we are born into, the traditions we hold dear, and the assumptions we are given and make ourselves. Looking back into history we see that as a species we are usually wrong about many things, and cause a lot of pain and suffering to our fellow beings because of it. I do not believe that any scripture inspired by truth and love would seek to punish someone for following their heart. If such scriptures do exist, then they should be removed from the spiritual teachings we carry forward as mystical beings having a human experience. The time has come to evolve our spiritual understandings and our crumbling institutions.

I find that each wedding I photograph is unique and beautiful, just as the people who commit themselves to one another. We are all flawed, we are all crazy, we are all trying the best we can. We were all born to fulfill our destinies, and to question who one person chooses to love is to question love itself. All the lies propagated about gay relationships undermining marriage are ridiculous. It is better to question what it is that religious leaders and politicians are really trying to distract us from. What is the advantage to keeping us all divided?

Thank you to Mark and Arend for following your hearts, for being courageous, and of course for choosing me as your photographer! I feel honored to be a part of this revolution that is happening in the northeast and hopefully across the entire US soon enough. I hope my images convey the love that is shared, and the happiness that is found in such love. May you live long and happily together, and be examples of love and happiness to all those around you.

The Art of Healing Magazine, June 2011

While I was away at Jivamukti yoga teacher training my photos from the NOLA Yoga Photography Project were busy getting themselves into magazines. The first was my photo of Libby Bryan, my beloved Jivamukti teacher in New Orleans (and soon moving to Austria). I was contacted by Catherine, the editor of The Art of Healing magazine in Australia, who found my photos on flickr. She said “Your photography is like a sigh of relief – finally, someone is shooting yoga in the real world!” I am honored to have my photograph featured on the cover of their June 2011 issue!

Mary Kuzmovich doing utthita trikonasana in Jefferson Square, New Orleans

The second photo from the project to make it into publication was this one of my friend Mary Kuzmovich. Mary was one of the first people I photographed for the project and we thought it would be funny to do some shots in Jackson Square, where gazillions of tourists pose for photos in front of the statue of Andrew Jackson on his horse, with the St. Louis Cathedral in the background.

This choice worked in my favor when Yoga Journal was looking for pictures of yoga in New Orleans to use in their August 2011 issue for an article called “10 unlikely cities where yoga is thriving”. The picture is pretty fun, and I am honored to have it featured in the premier yoga magazine. Mary is also very excited to be a yoga superstar. I was dissapointed that the article does not mention the studio I practice at, Swan River Yoga, which is one of the largest and best in the city.

Well, I guess my career as a yoga photographer is officially launched! Thanks everyone who has supported me, and to the magazines that found my work and featured it. I have only begun!