By traveling in the off-season, I was completely alone most of the time and saw very few fellow travelers. I like the feeling of having these places all to myself. I am better able to immerse myself in the culture and landscape without the distractions of other visitors. Alone and free to shoot what I want and come and go with the wind is the style that I am accustomed to.

Sonam In Doorway (My Trusty Guide)--I am always striving for new ways to compose subject matter that will inspire viewers to want to spend time analyzing and contemplating what my point of view was and why I took the picture a particular way.

My expedition across Bhutan was also an incredible spiritual journey filled with daily adventures, unexpected experiences, and extremely good luck with weather and timing of key events. But the greatest aspect of my trip had to be the wonderful and fascinating people I met along the way. The easy-going Bhutanese are friendly, hospitable, and love to have their pictures taken.

The best journeys never really end and this was certainly a magical journey that exceeded my expectations in every way possible. I feel as if I came back somewhat enlightened and hope that the lessons I learned in this faraway world will remain with me forever.

Girl From Punakha--Traveling slowly allows you the luxury to look at life up close, in all different directions. The true beauty and excitement of my style of documentary photography is the element of the unknown coupled with unbridled freedom and the constant visual stimulation I experience from dawn to dusk.

About The Photographs
Daryl Hawk carries two Nikon FM3A camera bodies on his treks, along with three Nikkor lenses--a 28-200mm, a 20mm, and a 24mm. The zoom is his workhorse lens--in fact, he used it for all the photos here. "I like to keep it simple when it comes to equipment," Hawk says, "and the zoom handles just about everything." A good thing, as changing lenses in windy, dusty, or snowy places is something he likes to avoid. His only filter is a polarizer, which he uses quite often. His films of choice are Fuji's Provia 100F and 400F Professional and Velvia 100F. He generally allows 50 rolls of film per week for his adventure travels.

Note: At Daryl Hawk's website, www.hawkphotography.net, you can see more of this adventure and travel photography as well as a selection of his commercial images. Also at the site is information about Hawk's cable television show, The Unconventional Traveler, in which he interviews photographers, explorers, and adventure travelers and occasionally highlights his own travel adventures.