A farmer in Moxi, Sichuan province, China. After photographing him, I sat with his family, eating walnuts and fruit. He was as kind and gentle as he looks in the photograph.

In Litang, Sichuan province, China, this charismatic Tibetan sat with his friends on top of a cart and insisted I photograph him.
This man in Moxi, Sichuan province, China, was taking a break from spreading manure.
This man sold fruit and vegetables at an outdoor market, also in Moxi. A large umbrella serves as the background.

This Tibetan boy was standing in front of a cart in Litang, Sichuan province, China. The box around his chest is used for praying.
These three women (grandmother, mother, daughter) represent three generations of caretakers of a Tibetan Lamasery in Moxi, Sichuan province, China.
I found this Tibetan girl in Litang playing one morning with a tire. She picked up the tire and held it in front of her, then nodded to me to take her picture.

Two boys in a Kachak village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia. It had been some time since westerners had been in this village, and all clamored to have their photograph taken at a nearby stream. After hiking back up to town in the searing heat, with our novelty waning around the village, I took this picture.
Early morning in a Jarais village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia. The man is severely hungover from a night of heavy rice wine drinking with many of the other village men. Though it was about 80 degrees, he was shivering under the blanket.

In a Jarais village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, this mother waited patiently with her three children to receive medical supplies. The average age of pregnancy is 15, and families have many children. The population is kept in check due to their short life-expectancy (50 is rather old).
At the same Jarais village, a group huddled around a morning fire to smoke, eat and talk.
One of the older women in this Kachak village in Ratanakiri. The village was in a lull, awaiting the next harvest. While the men drank rice wine, the women stayed indoors, away from the heat.

From Sarjagag, in Xinjiang province, China, this girl was watching a group of children that I was photographing. I was struck by her serenity and her poise, but now I mostly notice her rumpled, striped leggings.
As I emerged from a Kashgar alleyway, this man was sitting on the sidewalk across the street, watching me intently. As I approached him, his expression never changed. I stopped, motioned with my camera and took this one picture.

This 13 year-old girl was part of a family that sheltered us from the rain in the small village of Sarjagag in Xinjiang, China. Moments after snapping what I thought was an innocent picture of her hugging this white goat, her older brother showed up with a knife. Within two hours, we were seated in a banquet-type setting, eating the poor creature.
This seven year-old girl in Kashgar demanded that I photograph her, practically forcing the other kids in the alleyway out of the frame so she could be the star.
A father and son fronting their fello Tajik workers in Xindi, Xinjiang province, China. In this village, both Han Chinese (forcibly settled) and local Tajiks, lived side by side (tent by tent) but had no interaction with each other and in general did not seem to be the best of friends.

In the town of Dun Hua in Jilin province, this woman made tasty pancakes in an outdoor market.
I spent several hours with a family in an alleyway in Harbin, China. This couple had one daughter and lived in their parents one-room apartment.

In the city of Dalian, in Dongbei, China, this boy was playing cards in a park with some friends. His friends ran away when I showed up with my camera, fearing that a picture showing them gambling would be published, resulting in their parents becoming quite upset.
This mother and daughter ran a dedicated chocolate shop in Harbin, China. 巧克力 qioakeli (chocolate) was the first word I learned in Mandarin.
In Dalian, while this young girl fed bread crumbs to pigeons, her parents flanked me on both sides taking pictures.

In Guizhou province, China, a man walks with his dog while fishermen on a pier prepare to head into the water. Banyan trees dominate the riverbank.
Also in Guizhou province, this man and his son were building a road. The hoes were the only building implements in their possession. The task looked monumental.

This elderly couple was in charge of a drum tower in a small Dong village in Guizhou province. Being the elders of the village, it was their responsibility to ensure that a fire was constantly burning in the tower. Drum towers were used by the Dong people to alert neighboring villages of impending danger or to announce special festivities.
This is a Miao boatmaker in Guizhou province, China. A face of exquisite expressiveness.
These are Miao schoolchildren in Guizhou province, China. Exceedingly shy, these friendly people allowed us to sleep in their school and share our food with them (the elders forced some rice wine down our throats as well!). Having no musical instruments, we presented them with an accordion as a gift for the village. A Belgian woman had donated funds to the village for a new schoolhouse, which was being built while we were there.

These five boys in Sapa, Vietnam, looked at me in wonderment as I snapped this picture. This is the only picture I took of them and amazingly they are all perfectly aligned to the fence posts, eyes completely focused on me.
These two sisters in Sapa seemed so contrasting. One gentle and soft, the other hard and defensive. I came across them along a deserted set of rice paddies in the mist and rain.
While visiting the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, this man ushered me into his house to escape the oppressive heat. He was a rice farmer and made thin rice paper crepes for spring rolls. We stared at each other smiling, unable to communicate, while I drank some tea. I then lifted my camera and took this one picture.
Also in the Mekong Delta, I took this picture while waiting for a ferry. The girl is about 4. Her mother was just to her right. I have no idea what she was trying to communicate with her outstretched hand.
Taken in the hills of Dalat, Vietnam, this picture was taken in a Chil tribe village. I suspect this woman was the grandmother, not the mother, as I saw many teenage pregnant girls in the village.