Axis of Dawn
Before sun-rise, the towers of Angkor Wat do not rise; they are revealed—drawn upward by the slow brightening of cloud even as their twin silhouettes deepen upon the lotus pond. Lucas Varro stands motionless at water’s edge, camera poised, breath folded into the larger stillness. The long exposure that follows gathers cloud-drift, palm murmur, and stone prayer into one continuous filament of time.
Captured on 8 × 10 black-and-white negative, the scene moves next into the dim sanctuary of the studio. There, classical chiaroscuro and hand-toning transform technique into offering: shadows tempered like incense smoke, highlights cooled to the quiet of morning marble. Printed on warm-toned Hahnemühle Bamboo, the image carries the tactile memory of that predawn air.
Curatorially, Sacred Reflection functions as the axis mundi within the Spirit of Angkor series—a visible hinge where ascent meets descent, where Mount Meru’s symbolism and its water-borne echo form a mandala of unity. The print’s symmetry invites meditative regard: to gaze is to be momentarily suspended between heaven’s unfolding and earth’s recall.
For collectors, rarity intertwines with devotion. The edition is limited to 25 archival pigment prints plus 2 Artist’s Proofs, each signed and numbered on the border recto and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Acquiring the piece is less possession than guardianship of a stillness that will not repeat. Place it where dawn’s hush is welcome, and the mirror of quiet will remain.
Also in Library
From Mountain to Monastery
Angkor Wat survived by learning to change its posture. Built as a summit for gods and kings, it became a place of dwelling for monks and pilgrims. As belief shifted from ascent to practice, stone yielded to routine—and the mountain learned how to remain inhabited.
Why Theravada Could Outlast Stone
Theravada endured by refusing monumentality. It shifted belief from stone to practice, from kings to villages, from permanence to repetition. What it preserved was not form but rhythm—robes, bowls, chants, and lives lived close together—allowing faith to travel when capitals fell and temples emptied.
The End of Sanskrit at Angkor
The final Sanskrit inscription at Angkor does not announce an ending. It simply speaks once more, with elegance and certainty, into a world that had begun to listen differently. Its silence afterward marks not collapse, but a quiet transfer of meaning—from stone and proclamation to practice, breath, and impermanence.
$250
Angkor Wat Temple, Angkor, Cambodia — 2020
Limited Edition Archival Pigment Print
Edition
Strictly limited to 25 prints + 2 Artist’s Proofs
Medium
Hand-toned black-and-white archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Bamboo — a museum-grade fine art paper chosen for its quiet tactility and reverent depth, echoing the spirit of the temples.
Signature & Numbering
Each print is individually signed and numbered by the artist on the border (recto)
Certificate of Authenticity
Accompanies every print
Image Size
8 x 8 inches (20.3 x 20.3 cm)
Dawn enters on a breath so soft it barely stirs the palms. Over the lotus pond, the five towers of Angkor Wat rise not in stone, but in reflection—sky doubling back into water, memory leaning toward form.
The hush is complete. Wind holds its voice. Light kneels. In this early hour, Lucas Varro stood unseen, lens poised at the water’s edge. Reverence guided the exposure—a slow inhalation of the moment as the towers drifted into mirrored stillness.
Captured on 8×10 black-and-white film, the image was later shaped in the darkroom through classical chiaroscuro and hand-toned with care. Shadow and light were coaxed gently forward, honoring the atmosphere of that silent hour.
Each impression is a museum-grade archival pigment print on sustainable Hahnemühle Bamboo, limited to 25 prints with 2 Artist’s Proofs, signed and numbered on the border recto.
Let this reflection become the still water of your interior shrine.
To step softly into the hush of mirrored dawn, click here and enter the Artist’s Journal.
Previously titled ‘Dawn Reflection, Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia. 2020,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone. The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.
