Twenty-four years ago, Nicholas Vreeland, Diana Vreeland’s grandson, went off to India to become a Buddhist monk. Of the precious few possessions he could take with him, one was his camera. During his time at the Rato Dratsang monastery in the South India state of Karnataka, Vreeland took pictures simply to “do his scales”— maintaining his technique as a pianist would.

Twenty-four years ago, Nicholas Vreeland, Diana Vreeland’s grandson, went off to India to become a Buddhist monk. Of the precious few possessions he could take with him, one was his camera. During his time at the Rato Dratsang monastery in the South India state of Karnataka, Vreeland took pictures simply to “do his scales”— maintaining his technique as a pianist would.