Skip to content

Gallery 04 of 05

Stillness

Places where time seems to slow, and the frame can simply rest.

Turquoise fishing boats floating on pale, mirror-still water

Into the WhiteTonlé Sap Lake, CambodiaTwo little boats float on a white so complete that sky and water become one. For the fishermen of Tonlé Sap, life has always moved with the lake’s rise and fall. Now shifting rains and dams upstream, many of them in China, are making that rhythm harder to read, and the fish harder to find.Into the WhiteTonlé Sap Lake, Cambodia

Rolling green and brown Palouse fields in soft light

Velvet FieldsPalouse, WashingtonThe Palouse rolls like a green and brown sea frozen mid-swell. These wind-built loess hills near the Idaho border hold some of the most productive dry-land contour farms in North America, every curve a farmer’s line drawn with the land.Velvet FieldsPalouse, Washington

A dark creek winding through plowed hills

The CreekPalouse, WashingtonA small, dark creek threads through freshly plowed hills, a single brushstroke across the land. From the summit of Steptoe Butte the fields spread out a full 360 degrees, and every direction holds another painting.The CreekPalouse, Washington

Hazy golden light over layered green hills and a distant farm

HazePalouse, WashingtonGolden haze lingers over layered hills as a storm moves on, a lone farmstead tucked into the folds. Winter wheat, lentils, peas and barley each wear their own shade, stitched together into one quilt.HazePalouse, Washington

A rainbow falling onto farms in a green valley

Where It LandsPalouse, WashingtonI wasn’t supposed to be on Steptoe Butte that evening; a last-minute change of plans put me there. A storm passed, the photographers around me gasped, and then this: an enormous rainbow stretching into the vast, bucolic landscape, a scene that felt made for the lucky few of us there.Where It LandsPalouse, Washington

Sunlit haze over rolling fields and a distant grain elevator

Spotlit HillsPalouse, WashingtonEarly and late in the day, low side light rakes across the Palouse, stretching long shadows that define every crop and contour. This time a storm was passing overhead, and sunlight poured through holes in the clouds, spotlighting the hills one patch at a time.Spotlit HillsPalouse, Washington

Moored gondolas on smooth water beneath a pale sky

Resting GondolasVenice, ItalyFive in the morning, before the crowds descend and before the gondolas are taken out for the day. They rest in a neat row, prows nodding toward San Giorgio Maggiore across the water. Each one is built slightly lopsided on purpose, so a single gondolier standing on one side can steer it straight.Resting GondolasVenice, Italy

A fisherman on a bamboo raft raising a cormorant

The Fisherman’s PartnerGuilin, ChinaA fisherman lifts his cormorant high against the karst hills. For more than a thousand years, fishermen here have worked alongside these birds. Today only a handful remain, and as the young leave for the cities, a way of life is quietly slipping away.The Fisherman’s PartnerGuilin, China

A lone walker on the shore beneath a glowing break in the clouds

Break in the CloudsLaguna Beach, CaliforniaA lone figure walks the shoreline beneath a heavy grey sky. In the distance, a ray of light bursts through the clouds and spills across the water, turning the sea to silver for as long as the opening holds.Break in the CloudsLaguna Beach, California

An airplane shadow over patchwork fields seen from the window

Window SeatMadrid, SpainThe plane’s shadow races across the patchwork fields outside Madrid, and I feel that familiar jolt: somewhere new is about to begin. No matter how many trips I take, the thrill of watching a new place come into view never wears off.Window SeatMadrid, Spain

A gondola moored at a foggy waterfront with a church across the lagoon

Fog on the LagoonVenice, ItalyFog softens the far shore until San Giorgio Maggiore is only an outline, and a single gondola waits at the pier. Venice is quietest early, before the water buses start their rounds and the city wakes.Fog on the LagoonVenice, Italy

Two men by a riverboat as a red sun sets through haze

Red Sun on the RiverLuang Prabang, LaosTwo travelers pause beside a riverboat to admire the sun going down, crimson and round as an egg yolk. In winter, farmers burn their fields and the valley fills with smoke: bad for the lungs, wonderful for sunsets. The haze makes the whole scene feel like another time.Red Sun on the RiverLuang Prabang, Laos

Young novices walking along a riverbank at golden hour

Walking HomeLuang Prabang, LaosAcross the Mekong from Luang Prabang lies a small town with its own monastery. These young novices had just spent a carefree Saturday afternoon swimming in the river, and were heading back along the bank at golden hour, still boys for a little while longer.Walking HomeLuang Prabang, Laos

Temple rooflines and a kneeling statue silhouetted at dusk

Peach Sky, Kneeling StoneLuang Prabang, LaosDaybreak, and the temple rooflines and a kneeling guardian stand in silhouette against a peach-colored sky. From inside the walls comes the low, steady chanting of monks at their morning prayers, drifting over the still-sleeping street before the day begins.Peach Sky, Kneeling StoneLuang Prabang, Laos

A carved stone face tower framed by great tree trunks

The Smiling GateSiem Reap, CambodiaA serene stone face gazes out between the trunks of ancient trees. The face towers of Angkor Thom were carved in the late twelfth century, and the forest has been slowly reclaiming them ever since.The Smiling GateSiem Reap, Cambodia

Two cats on whitewashed walls beside a blue dome and bougainvillea

Island CatsSantorini, GreeceTwo cats keep watch from whitewashed walls beneath a blue dome and a burst of bougainvillea. On the islands, cats are part of the village, as much a fixture as the chapels themselves.Island CatsSantorini, Greece

A worn red rowboat on a pebble shore facing the caldera

RetiredOia, GreeceI only learned about Oia’s old port the day before, at the nautical museum. The way there is a steep cobblestone staircase overgrown with knee-high weeds, but it was worth every step: a worn red rowboat resting on the pebbles, facing the caldera it once worked.RetiredOia, Greece

A potted cactus on a white terrace above a deep blue sea

Terrace CactusSantorini, GreeceHiking the cliff path from Oia to Fira, I stumbled onto a luxury hotel still under construction, one of many being carved into the cliffs to keep up with demand. On its empty terrace, a lone cactus stood against the deep blue caldera, like the cover of a Condé Nast magazine.Terrace CactusSantorini, Greece

A yellow and white wooden boat hull beside a rusted anchor

Anchor and HullOia, GreeceDown at the old port of Ammoudi, away from the touristy side of Oia, yellow, white and blue paint flakes from a wooden hull beside a rusted anchor. I lingered here before boarding the ferry to the nearby island of Thirasia.Anchor and HullOia, Greece

Pigeons scattering over a whitewashed square and blue-domed chapel

Morning FlightMykonos, GreecePigeons burst into the sky over the town square of Mykonos Town and its little blue-domed chapel. In high season this square is a party haven. In winter it empties out and becomes a quiet respite, left to the locals and the birds.Morning FlightMykonos, Greece