POTD - Dragon Embracing the Pillars

Dragon Embracing the Pillars, a photo by DisHippy on Flickr.

The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis will host an international exhibition of larger-than-life, lighted works of art from China from May 26 through August 19, 2012.

"Lantern Festival: Art by Day, Magic by Night" will attract visitors from throughout the country to experience one of China’s most treasured events and ancient traditions – the annual lantern festival.

Elaborate outdoor sets crafted of silk and steel will celebrate Chinese culture through bold color, dazzling light and striking design. The exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to witness a spectacle rarely staged outside of Asia.

View the "art by day" or experience the illuminated "magic by night" on Thursday through Sunday evenings.

This intricate set rises from waters of the Garden’s Latzer Fountain. The dragon is a traditional symbol for the Chinese people, incorporated into Chinese history, beliefs, religion, nationality and culture. The mythical animal was created by the Chinese people and is one of the 12 zodiac signs. The dragon symbolizes luck, nobility, bravery, strength and knowledge. For thousands of years, it has stood for people’s hopes and wishes for a better future, tying together the hearts of Chinese people around the world. The year 2012 is the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.

This is one of the most impressive exhibits I've been too at the Botanical Gardens since the Dale Chihuly Exhibit. There is so much color all over the gardens that totally accents the color in the gardens themselves. Despite being insanely crowded when Jenea and I went to shoot photos, it was still a ton of fun and now I cannot wait to get up there for one of the night shows. I shot the majority of the day in Manual Mode and my results were pretty amazing. I'm still getting used to focusing that fisheye lens, but overall I was very happy with my results. I will be here a lot for this show so be prepared for my photostream to be flooded with color, like it isn't already. Please let me know what you all think as any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. Enjoy!