When Stone Draws Its First Breath
The last rain has slipped into the moat, leaving the air satin-cool. I stand across the water, camera folded against my heart, tasting minerals in the mist. Bakong rises from leaf-shadow—five tiers of weathered hymn, neither ruin nor monument but a living spine of prayer. Nothing moves. Even the palms appear to listen for their own rustle.
A hush, then the faint swish of cloth. A monk drifts into view, head bowed, saffron deepened to bronze by the dim light. Halfway up the stair his dog streaks downward, joyful as first fire. They meet in a silence so complete I feel the pyramid exhale. I do not lift the lens yet. Presence is still gathering.
At last my hand settles the shutter. The film’s slow emulsion receives mist, stone, the invisible chord linking man, animal, and temple. Later, in the darkroom, chiaroscuro will coax that chord into visibility, and hand-toned warmth will echo the robe’s hidden ember. But here, before any alchemy, I breathe with the scene, letting it name itself.
mist on ancient stair
loyal paws and barefoot prayer
stone remembers dawn
I close the bellows. The dog turns once more, satisfied. The monk continues upward, softer than smoke. Behind them the temple resumes its long vigil, holding a new breath inside weathered ribs. I leave quietly, certain the light will remember what words cannot.
Also in My Journal
The Worm of Salt and Silence: A Myth of Creation and Ruin
The Worm of Salt and Silence rises from the ocean's depths, devouring, transforming, and shaping the land. As a boy enters its jaws, the boundaries of hunger and creation collapse, giving birth to a new world. This myth of death and rebirth unfolds in tides of flame and silence.
The Gate Beneath the Temple
A gate listens where a temple breathes. Smoke clings like a mirror, vows soften like wax, and every prayer falls downward as bread to a mouth carved in stone. Hunger speaks in liturgy and withdraws in hush. You feel the crown’s weight without jewels. You hear it. You carry it.
A Scroll Carried by Wind
Zhou Daguan came to Angkor to observe—but found a kingdom that defied explanation. This introductory scroll welcomes new readers into The Wind That Carried Me to Zhenla: a poetic resurrection of the 13th-century emissary’s journey, revoiced with reverence, wonder, and the hush of temple stone.
$280
Bakong Temple, Angkor, Cambodia — 2018
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)
The moat still murmured with last night’s rain when Bakong’s stone pyramid emerged into morning mist. Trees stood in quiet formation, their leaves damp with remembrance. The air was breathless, waiting.
Then—soft footsteps. A solitary monk stepped onto the path, saffron brushing shadow. His dog appeared at the stair’s base, bounding upward with familiar joy. At that instant, the ancient geometry of the temple seemed to inhale.
From across the moat, I opened the large-format lens. The exposure was long, silent—letting light and reverence gather in equal measure.
In the darkroom, chiaroscuro shaped the form until the stair held presence. Warm gold-toning followed—gently hand-applied to echo the robe, the dawn, the intimacy of this shared return.
Printed on museum-grade Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, in a strictly limited edition of 25 + 2 AP, each hand-toned print is signed on the recto.
Let this image enter your space as a quiet threshold between prayer and companionship.
Click here to walk further into the Artist’s Journal.
Previously titled ‘Monk and Friend, Bakong Temple, Angkor, Cambodia. 2018,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone. The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.
