Intimate Seasons

Peace and quiet: the familiar phrase fits perfectly. Nothing stirs in these scenes except the current in a stream or waterfall. No sounds disturb except the occasional birdcall or the buzz of a cicada. Far from trying to dramatize a piece of natural scenery, the two men who took these pictures have removed themselves. We see what they saw, with our own eyes. And in this quiet, peaceful way, we see the landscape of their country change. The stubble of empty rice fields is plowed under; the irrigation channels fill, and fields are flooded to receive the first plantings. At the edge of the ripening crop, wild lilies come into flower. By late summer the stalks are high, then harvested and hung on poles to dry. And, come midwinter, these terraced fields are buried under heavy snow. Intimate Seasons is a special little book.