Meander
A Photobook by R. Todd Slawson
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Meander is my sixth photography book highlighting my recent photography travels and some photos from previous year’s trips that have yet to be presented.. I started in 2020 with Journey and have continued publishing one every year around Christmas.
You might notice that Meander is thicker than the photobooks of years past. It has roughly the same number of pages as previous books but without notice, Blurb changed to a thicker cardstock and from a glossy to a matte finish. I do like the feel of the new pages. They also improved the binding which was needed.
Meander highlights many photos taken in 2025 of the rice terraces dominating the mountainous landscapes of Northern Vietnam. These terraces are believed to have been established in the 15th Century in the Sapa area and the 16th and 17th centuries in the Mu Cang Chai region. The ethnic tribe Hmong dominates this mountainous region, and you can see the differences in appearance between the Hmong and the Vietnamese of the south regions around Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Hmong are from southern China and moved south into northern Vietnam. I will tell more about the terraces as I talk about the photos presented.
Also presented are many photos from my trip to the Philippines and Indonesia in January 2025. I did seventeen scuba dives in the Raja Ampat region of eastern Indonesia. The aquatic life and variety of corals was second to none.
Another trip prominently displayed in Meander was a trip to the back water bayous of Lake Caddo in the fall. Lake Caddo, which straddles Texas and Louisiana just west of Shreveport, is the only natural lake in Texas. Bald cypress trees filled with Spanish moss dominate in the back waters and even in the open water. Even if I had not taken any photos, paddling a one-man canoe in these waters was worth the trip. The water was dark and shallow at about four feet and luckily the alligators were dormant that time of year. However, whenever my paddle hit something just below the surface, I always wondered what it actually was – best not to know.
I always try to sprinkle in photos from trips of past years and other things I run into. You will find some birds photos such as owls and eagles as well as other birds. Also presented are photos from Japan, Kenya, Indonesia, Bahamas and Iceland and, of course, many places within the United States.
Even though I have officially turned professional, I consider photography to be my hobby especially since I am so busy with my other jobs. Since exhibiting in Rueben Saunders Gallery in Wichita, KS (my hometown), sales of my pieces have continued to grow – especially large ones that are being placed in offices. A series of my Namibia sand dune photos and my braided river photos from New Zealand and Iceland are now hanging in the Energy, Earth and Environment Center at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. A collection of my photos can be seen at www.toddslawson.com. If you want to drop me a comment, please do so at tslawson@slawson.com.
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Cover: A photo from a drone of the magnificent rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai in mountainous northern Vietnam.
Page 1: I love Zebras. You would not think that black and white stripes would provide much camouflage, but they do. It is for a good reason why a herd of zebras is called a dazzle. I usually take photos of zebras in black and white – it just seems appropriate. These zebras were found in Kenya.
Pages 2, 3: This is the Mang Mu Corn House in the mountains of northern Vietnam. This is a very agricultural area growing rice, corn and tea. It is also a very poor area populated by the Hmong people. Many families here survive the year just from the food they harvest – not selling it but rather eating it. The area is full of photographers in the fall when the rice fields are about to be harvested. The locals make extra money charging entry fees or guiding the tourists, but the owners of the Corn House have set up a popular spot to photograph. The corn is hung to keep it away from insects and animals as well as to keep it dry. They will make many varieties of food from it and must make it last until the next harvest. Besides its practical use, it makes for great pictures with the sunbeams making their way through the corn ceiling. Check out the link at https://tinyurl.com/mucangchaicorn. Also notice the traditional headwear of the Hmong ladies.
Pages 4, 5: This Anhinga bird from South America is way off course and landed outside of Boulder, Colorado. Anhinga means snake bird as it has a very long neck. It feeds on fish and I found it perched in a tree in the middle of a large pond. An Anhinga had not been sighted in Colorado for over twenty years. It’s a pretty bird and I am glad it accidentally came my way. They think the weather systems knocked it off its course. That’s a long way to be knocked off course. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga
Pages 6, 7: The morning fog rolled up the mountain in the Big Sky area of Montana leaving just the peak of a ridge of pine trees visible from my perch high above.
Pages 8, 9: These Bald Eagles were photographed in the lake country north of Brainerd, Minnesota. I love photographing them and all six of my books have photos of bald eagles. Besides being majestic, eagles have incredible eyesight that is 4 to 8 times sharper than that of humans allowing them to see small prey up to two miles away. They also have two focal points in each eye allowing them to simultaneously focus on something in front of them and to the side of them at the same time with just one eye. They also can focus one eye near and the other eye far at the same time. Eagle eyes
Page 10: This is a Snow Monkey in the Mountains above Nagano, Japan – a famous ski village that held the 1998 Winter Olympics. These little guys love the hot thermal water pools in the area and have been the subject of many documentaries on their relaxing habit of lounging in them. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_macaque
Page 11: This baby Baboon in Kenya is holding on tightly to mom.
Page 12: The entire family comes together to harvest the rice in the Sapa region of northern Vietnam. It is not easy work and most done by hand. The rice is cut with a hand-held sickle, then bundled up and carried upslope to the top of the field where a motor scooter will take it up a narrow pathway to a road where a thrasher awaits. Sapa is a beautiful area with many mountain views of rice terraces from top to bottom. Its popularity has grown tremendously in the last decade with many nice lodges being built. https://vinpearl.com/en/sapa-rice-fields-a-natural-masterpiece
Page 13: Water buffalo are prominent in Vietnam. When I first visited Vietnam in 2011, water buffalo were used to till the fields but now they have been replaced by rudimentary tilling machines. These guys were enjoying their new lifestyle by taking a dip in the river near Ninh Binh Province. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_buffalo
Pages 14, 15: Corn drying on a fence in the Mu Cang Chi region of Vietnam. This goes along with the Corn House photos on pages 2 and 3.
Page 16: Elephant mom and baby enjoying a watering hole in Kenya’s Masai Mara region.
Page 17: A male lion in Kenya’s Masai Mara region. Notice the cub in the background. There were four cubs with him and his mate.
Pages 18, 19: Four photos of the workers in the rice fields during harvest in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam. In the top left, a worker is removing the rice from the stalk by beating it on the inside of a wooden container. Bags of cut rice plants are carried out of the field to the area where the motor scooters are waiting to carry it farther uphill to where the thrashers are. The Hmong lady with her scarf carries a basket on her back to collect the harvest. Finally on the right a lady carries the silage out to feed her water buffaloes.
Pages 20, 21: Three pictures from scuba dives in the Raja Ampat Islands area of far eastern Indonesia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ampat_Islands. From left to right are open white polyps of a Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral which are amazing to watch as they wave in the currents. Next is Corrugated Coral Japanese and then Green Brain Coral.
Page 22: Black Feather Star deep in the waters of Indonesia.
Page 23: A school of Oriental Sweetlip Fish in Indonesia. Yes, I had never heard of them either.
Pages 24, 25: A Common Loon with its wings spread in Minnesota. I have taken lots of good loon pics with their red eyes and with babies on their back but this simple picture from behind with its wings symmetrically spread wide illuminating the amazing black and white patterns of their feathers might be my best one yet.
Pages 26, 27: Indonesian huts on a long pier in the Raja Ampat region. People that follow my photography know I like simple photos and I consider this to be one. I find joy in photographing something that people might not look twice at.
Pages 28, 29: Drone shots of rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai in northern Vietnam. Photographing these stunning terraces was the highlight of my year in photography. The terraces on the right I named the Dr. Suess terraces since its curves as seen from above look whimsical. The photo on the right is named Horseshoe Terraces. The rice is grown in standing water all year. Water is fed into the top terrace and then drains over the barrier to the next terrace and so on all the way to the bottom. When it is time to harvest, the water is stopped and the terraces are allowed to dry. Once the grain sprouts and is dry enough to harvest (usually in September) then it is cut by hand and harvested. Then in January, the terraces are flooded again and the rice sprouts are planted by hand.
Pages 30, 31: I had the pleasure of being invited to the Formula One (F1) race in Miami this year. Of course, I brought my camera. The photo on the right is of the winner, Australian, Oscar Piastri in his McLaren.
Pages 32, 33: More Indonesian underwater photos. From left to right is a Yellow Feather Star. In the middle is a Blackspotted Puffer Fish and on the right is Lettuce Coral. I would swim over vast fields of this coral and really felt like I was floating over a garden of lettuce.
Page 34: In early June the shoreline of Pacific Grove on the Monterey peninsula in central California comes alive when the pink/purple ice plant succulent blooms to form what the locals call the Magic Carpet. See the link for photos of what the shoreline looks like which has been presented in previous books. Magic Carpet
Page 35: Iceland is volcanic and these basalt columns there are evidence of it. These columns form when thick lava flows slowly cool. During that process, the lava shrinks as it solidifies causing it to crack then break into hexagonal columns. Iceland has many areas where these basalt columns are present.
Page 36: These Greater Flamingoes are in Walvis Bay in western Namibia. The are recognizable as the greater flamingoes not only by their large size but also by their pink beak with a black tip. The coloration of flamingos depends upon what they eat. Therefore, some are pink solely based upon their diet. Flamingoes usually live about 35 years.
Page 37: The Superb Starling in Kenya gets its superb name from its iridescent plumage. They are native to eastern Africa and live in flocks of twelve or more. Interestingly there is only one mating pair in the flock and the rest are “helpers” supporting that pair.
Page 38: This Blue Linckia Starfish was found in the waters of Indonesia. It can be a darker brilliant blue or a lighter blue like this one. It also can be orange or green.
Page 39: This is a Green Sea Turtle in Indonesia. Happily, the green sea turtle was recently removed from the endangered list. It gets its name not from it being green which it is not as it usually is olive or black but rather from the green fat found below its carapace (upper exoskeleton or shell).
Page 40: Gold Mouth Sea Squirts were one of the coolest things I saw while diving in Indonesia. I had never seen them before while diving. They are a valvelike creature that filters water. As I approach, they close. They commonly were white, yellow, or blue.
Page 41: This Batfish is in Indonesia. It was cool to swim in schools of them and they loved hanging around the divers. The adults are very social. This fish was bigger than it appears. They range from 4 to 12 lbs.
Pages 42, 43: These Indonesian thatch-roofed huts on piers were common and made a good photo.
Pages 44, 45: I photographed this Egret in the mangrove forests by El Nido on Palawan Island in the Philippines.
Page 46: I found this Stork-billed Kingfisher in the same mangrove area I found the egret on the previous pages. Even though he is colorful he was not easy to spot and tougher to photograph with all the branches in the way. He was only there for about 20 seconds. He is one of the largest kingfishers and as you can see is very colorful. Here is link that will provide you some better photos of one. Link.
Page 47: This Forest (Blue) Kingfisher was also found in the coastal areas by El Nido, Philippines.
Pages 48, 49: These are all photos of Eastern Screech Owls around Denver, Colorado. The screech owl looking out the tiny hole in tree trunk was found in a densely populated suburb in Denver. They are small at only 7 to 10 inches tall. They are only found in the Americas. There are 22 varieties of screech owls.
Page 50: A fisherman in hollowed-out, wooden canoe in El Nido, Philippines.
Page 51: Boats in Nihn Bihn, Vietnam are lined up after a long day.
Page 52: This little guy is a Pika in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. A Pika is small mammal native to north America as well as Asian. He is hanging around in a rocky landscaper which is normal for him so he can quickly hide in the crevices for shelter.
Page 53: This California Ground Squirrel is in Pacific Grove, CA. I like this photo because he is looking like he is delivering a bouquet of grass to a significant other.
Pages 54, 55: These three photos are of the American Bison. The first photo is in Teddy Roosevelt National Park by Medora, North Dakota. The badlands, so prominent in that area, are in the background. https://tinyurl.com/trnpnd. The other two bison were found in Yellowstone National Park in NW Wyoming.
Page 56: This in an Osprey diving for a fish in a pond in Colorado.
Page 57: This is a Green Heron found in Minnesota. I know he looks like he should be a Red Heron but green herons have blue-green colors as well as chestnut colors in sunlight. They are fishing birds that often use a tool to help them fish. They will use a twig, feather or something else as a lure to attract fish.
Pages 58, 59: A Delacour’s Langur in the Van Long Nature Preserve in Ninh Binh, Vietnam. They are endemic to this area and are critically endangered. Less than 250 remain in the wild. Th Delacour’s langur looks like it is wearing white shorts. I was a little too far away to get a great photo of these guys and being printed on mat paper versus glossy paper does not help the graininess of the photo.
Pages 60, 61: I love this photo of a white water lily in the dark water of a channel of a lake in central Minnesota.
Pages 62, 63: The first photo is of two baby Great Horned Owls. There was a third one in the nest but, as usual, when the third one popped up into view, another one slid down out of view. There are fluff balls. The second photo is a Long-Earred Owl. Both photos were taken just outside of Denver, Colorado.
Pages 64, 65: This is a Water Buffalo in Vietnam hanging out in a river. They used to use these buffalos to plow their fields but with the economy improving in Vietnam, most of the work now is done by machines. The buffalo are now mostly treated like cattle. The circular pattern photo is a close-up photo of the water buffalo’s hide in its hind quarters. I love patterns in nature.
Pages 66, 67: These three photos were taken in the back waters of Caddo Lake which partly in Texas and partly in Louisiana. The bald cypress trees full of Spanish moss set the scene for eerie photos especially in the early morning mist. I was in a one-person canoe and thoroughly enjoyed paddling among the cypress trees. I was there for the photos, but I hear it is an amazing bass fishing lake as well. Here is a link to Caddo Lake. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddo_Lake
Pages 68, 69: These are red roof tiles in Vietnam. I thought they were interesting and I like the pattern.
Pages 70, 71: This large Coastal Brown Bear is charging for a salmon in a stream in Katmai National Park in Alaska. He is about 30 yards in front of me and could kill me if he wanted to but he is more interested in the salmon, which taste better. By the way, coastal brown bears are bigger than a grizzly bear.
Page 72: This is a Common Teasel plant in Cherry Creek State Park outside of Denver, Colorado. It is wintertime and its flowers are long gone. It is consider just a weed but weeds can be pretty as well, especially with the morning frost on them.
Page 73: This is a Red Winged Black Bird also in Cherry Creek State Park in Colorado. The bird is all black except for a red path on each wing.
Pages 74, 75: These two photos are of rice terraces in the Mu Cang Chai region of northern Vietnam. The first photo has a round top. Water is pumped onto this top terrace and then overflows to the next terrace down and so on. The rice stays in the terraces until it is drained to harvest the rice.
Pages 76, 77: These two photos are of the fall aspens in Colorado. The first photo has the sun shining through the trees and its rays are starring. The second photo has the aspens surrounding a cabin.
Pages 78, 79: Two more photos of the bald cypress trees in Caddo Lake in Texas. I love the first photo with the leaning bald cypress tree and its reflection in the dark backwaters of the bayou.
Pages 80, 81: Small towns always have something interesting about them. This mural was found on a building in Rico, Colorado by Telluride.
Pages 82, 83: More aspens from the Telluride area of Colorado.
Pages 84, 85: More photos from Caddo Lake, Texas.
Pages 86, 87: Two views of the rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai, Vietnam from above with a drone. It is difficult to imagine what it took to build these terraces so perfectly contoured to the topography many centuries ago.
Page 88: This is Morning Glory Pool which is a deep hot spring in Yellowstone National Park’s Geyser Basin. It is not really a geyser although it has previously erupted due to earthquake activity. It is a short walk from Yellowstone Inn and Old Faithful. I think it is the prettiest of all the hot springs with its vibrant colors created by the bacteria formed due to the hot water which is 160 degrees F. A little too hot for a bath. Link to Wikipedia Page.
Page 89: This is almost a perfect reflection of fall aspens in a pond very near Telluride, Colorado. Nothing special, right? Did you notice it was upside down. The top part is the reflection which almost looks like an impressionism painting. However, the publisher’s unannounced switch to a mat paper for this book does not make this as clear as it should be.
Pages 90, 91: Three photos from under the waters of Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The first photo is a pink Bush Coral. The second photo is Brain Coral which I always find so fascinating. The third photo is of a Doughboy Starfish. Never seen one before but I like it.
Pages 92, 93: These three photos are all taken in Caddo Lake, Texas. Two are of Egrets and one of a Great Blue Heron. I love the lighting of the photo on the right with a egret walking and the setting sun illuminating the trunk of the Bald Cypress tree.
Pages 94, 95: The panoramic photo on the top was taken out of a plane of the underwater sand formations in Tarpum Bay near Eleuthera Island, Bahamas. This formation is 38 miles long. It is formed by the ocean currents eroding limestone reefs and forming artistic patterns on the sea floor as seen from above. A photo from google earth is shown below.
Pages 94, 95: The four photos displayed on the bottom are as follows. Daisy Coral from Indonesia. A Hermit Crab on a beach in the Philippines. A Diagonal-Banded Sweetlip fish in Indonesian waters. A Feather Star on the ocean floor in Indonesia.
Page 96: A Clown Fish (Nemo) playing in an Anemone in Indonesia. This is one of the great symbiotic relationships in nature. The anemone has stinging tenacles but the clown fish has a mucus coating that makes them immune, so the clown fish is safe in the protection of the anemone tenacles and lays its eggs in them. The presence of the clown fish wards off predators that eat the anemone. The playful moments of the clown fish stir up the water bringing the anemone more nutrients and oxygen. The clown fish eat the algae and parasites from the anemone tenacles keeping it clean. For me, I enjoy watching them swim around in the tenacles so carefree.
Page 97: This is a very large fern in the Philippines and I took a black and white photo of its leaf.
Page 98: This is one of the many colorful Jeepneys in the town center of Cebu, Philippines. They are iconic public transport vehicles, often built from modified surplus WWII jeeps. Each one is unique featuring elaborate paint jobs with cartoons, superheroes, and abstract art plus a loud sound system. They are definitely a lively part of the Cebu street scene and a major symbol of Filipino culture and ingenuity. The ride costs about ten cents and you can stay aboard as long as you want but it gets very crowded inside especially for a tall guy like me.
Page 99: Cebu Sinulog candles in Magellan’s Cross Pavilion. This is an interesting read and I stumbled across it. I coincidentally planned my Philippines trip starting in Cebu (a city of 3 million people) for the third weekend of January. I had no idea that was also the day of the main event of Sinulog – a large, multi-week or even multi-month religious festival celebrating Santa Nina (baby Jesus). It brings in an additional 3 million people into Cebu and the masses during such time start at 4 am and last until 11 pm every day. The main event consists of a 4 mile parade lasting up to 12 hours and street dancers in colorful, festival dresses.
The photo I have presented is the inside of Magellan’s Cross Pavilion where the cross that Fernand Magellan planted in 1521 on the shores of Cebu (his initial landing in the Philippines) is housed. The pavilion is an octagonal stone kiosk next to the Basilica Minore del Santo Nino. During the annual Sinulog, offerings to Santa Nina are made by purchasing candles from the Sinulog dancing vendors. The candles are blessed and thrown into the Pavilion, unlit. The candles were probably 4 feet deep when I took this photo and our guide said it will get much higher than that. The proceeds go to support the upkeep of the Basilica. Sinulog was very interesting and I am glad I stumbled upon it. For more reading I have provided the following links.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinulog
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magellan%27s_Cross_Pavilion
Pages 100, 101: Here are two photos of different Gorgonians which is a sea fan soft coral. These wave back and forth in the currents. I photographed them in the waters of Indonesia.
Pages 102, 103: Two photos of a bamboo forest in northern Vietnam. The first photo is an upshot through the thick forest. The second is an ICM shot which means intentional camera movement while you are taking the photo to blur the subject to make it look cool. Sometimes it works.
Page 104: The Raja Ampat Islands of far eastern Indonesia.
Page 105: These two small photos are of the Philippine boats used to hop between the islands with tourists. They have bamboo outriggers on both sides to keep them stable. They look like a centipede.
Pages 106, 107: These manhole covers are mostly from Japan. The one in the upper left is a grate in the U.S. Capital building in Washington D.C.
Pages 108, 109: These bundles of different colored incense sticks are made in south Hanoi, Vietnam. They display them beautifully making great photographs.
Page 110: Spiderman mask. Look closely and you will see what it really is. It’s the boy’s balloon perfectly positioned to look like his father is wearing a mask.
Hope you enjoyed Meander. I certainly enjoyed sharing my photos with you and I hope you have come away with an appreciation of the beauty of this wonderful world and also with something that you did not know before.
Todd Slawson
