A photography book
Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness — John Wehrheim, 2008.
John Wehrheim's substantial photography book is one of the more-distinguished pieces of long-form Bhutan visual work in print. Wehrheim travelled through the country across several years before the 2008 constitutional transition, photographing villages and valleys at a deliberate slow pace. The resulting book — large-format, 200+ photographs, an essay by the author — captures the country at a particular moment of poise between tradition and the modern world.
Photography · John Wehrheim · 2008 · 240 pages, large format · English
Why we picked it
Visitors planning a photography-led Bhutan trip should look at this book before they leave. Wehrheim's eye is for the long take rather than the iconic shot — he photographed villages and valleys at a pace that lets the country answer back. The book is also useful as a reference for the kind of trip we plan; visitors who want to know what the photographer's Bhutan looks like can study Wehrheim's work and tell us where they want to go.
Editorial note
John Wehrheim is an American photographer and architect whose Bhutan work spans roughly 2003-2008, the years just before the constitutional democratic transition. The book is the principal long-form Bhutan photography monograph of its decade. Beyond Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness Wehrheim has also worked on a documentary film of the same name. For visitors with photographer interest, the book pairs well with the practical work the matched guide does to put the visitor in the right position at the right hour — see [[photography-in-bhutan|the photography in Bhutan guide]]. Available in large-format hardcover from Serindia and from international booksellers; out-of-print editions appear periodically on the secondary market.
“What I came to photograph was not a place but a pace.”
— John Wehrheim, Bhutan: Hidden Lands of Happiness (2008)
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