A moment that transcends time

Today I was inspired by a quote from National Geographic photographer Paolo Pellegrin.  Reflecting on a photo he shot of two girls swimming in the Dead Sea, he said what he likes about this image is, “the girls could have been swimming there 2,000 years ago. I am always interested in a picture that speaks of a particular moment but also transcends it.”

I realized that timelessness is what attracts me to many scenes that I shoot. When I travel, I am attracted to markets, fishermen and farmers at work, and this is especially true in less developed regions that don’t resemble my home in the United States. Here are a few such images that I shot in China in 2005. While China is changing at a rapid place, there are scenes that portray a way of life that may not have changed for generations.

Busy market in Yichang, China. While the man’s leg motions suggest an instantaneous moment, the baskets balance on a pole suggest old ways.

Muscle and wheels in Guillin, China. So often you see carts and bikes and loads carried on poles. Unlike the clogged highways of Beijing, this scene feels nostalgic.

Fishing in the muddy Yangtze. It appears the men are fishing for supper.