a taoist lion, a photo from Hong Kong, South

Photographer's Note

You can tell the difference between a Buddhist temple and a Taoism one, by the decorative figures and deities which people pray for.

A Buddhist temple will also have warriors guarding the gates, whereas a Taoist temple will have a statues of dragons or playful lions.

When you see a pair of lions, the lion on the left is normally a female with a cub under her paw, and the lion on the right is male with a pearl under his paw.

This photo shows the female lion in the Taoist temple in Fanling.

To see a similar photo taken in The Forbidden City, click here.

A great deal of symbolism is also involved in the distinctive 'green' roof, as shown in the photo.

In Chinese architecture the vertical ridges are symbolic of bamboo which represents youth and longevity.

Gold is an auspicious material, and so Imperial roofs are gold/yellow in colour.

ianmcall, Josh69, kajenn, henrye, c_kyr, jhm, nwoehnl, jmaddocks, CVTJan, digi-mom, Midnight_sun, Darren, allotfy, taivo, avigur_11, Rockyboy, Jeppe, PLD_images, jrj has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ianmcall (1213) 2004-03-16 23:35

Good DOF and a really nice tile roof colour of offset the gold of the lion. Good subject but mostly I like the colours.

Very informative note; much in the TE spirit, thanks.

Josh69 (1437) 2004-03-17 0:23

Another good note. The photo is good, but maybe not one of your best ones... I find the bricks at the bottom a bit distracting. Depending on your views on post-processing, I'd consider doing a blur on so they draw less attention. Nice colour on the lion.

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henrye (3500) 2004-03-17 0:42

Great note, very interesting. Good photo too. Great detail and textures in this shot. I like the composition too. Well done.

kajenn (2462) 2004-03-17 0:59

I love the colors, Andrew, gold agaist the green and red. And the - not so easy to see - cub lying on his back playing with her paw, while she has him under control, on a pedestal shaped with a tablecloth. I like the symbolism in the whole picture and how you explain it in your note. Possibly I would like the roof a tiny bit more out of focus, to make the statue stand out even more. Also I would prefer the empty space in front of the lion. But that's peanuts!

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c_kyr (1810) 2004-03-17 1:38

Lovely capture of the lion and wonderful contrast with the colored background.
Very informative note.
Well done!

jhm (211738) 2004-03-17 2:56

To see a similar photo taken in The Forbidden City this wonderful detail Andrew, this too. It gold colours are very nice and the documentary perfectly. Thanks.

nwoehnl (122) 2004-03-17 4:28

Fine colors an detail in this one, Andrew. The details in the lion are particularly compelling. Contrast is fine in color and pattern against the background, except maybe for the lower area where the brown bricks of the wall are very similar to the gold. The statue is nicely off-centered. Great note.

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jmaddocks (563) 2004-03-17 5:13

Hi Andrew. The golden lion against the green roof has a very dramatic look. Your shot is very clear and the colours are excellent, though it looks like the temple could use a touch up paint job. Your note is very helpful! Thanks!

CVTJan (1244) 2004-03-17 7:03

Dear Andrew the different shade of greens are so wonderful and then the falling of reds...
Today I'm couragous as I think there are 2 things that could have done a better picture. First the composition. The lion on the right side would have been better, as he would have space to go/look to. The way it is now it looks like he is angry and ready to bump his head against the black frame-wall. The other thing I have in mind is that a lower angle would have given you a better contrast of gold and green. Please see my workshop for it and let me know what you think. Hopefully you don't mind. Yours, Jan

[2] [workshop] [compare] +

Midnight_sun (1941) 2004-03-17 11:04

The DOF is very good, lost i think with a closer crop -well maybe not with a crop to the red.. The details of the mane set against the green tiles is impressive, great shot and explainations.

manny (22032) 2004-03-17 11:34

Nice contrast of gold and green. The red certainly adds a chinese look and ambiance. Very well-done. Simple yet effective.

allotfy (1525) 2004-03-17 11:54

Very nice details and the color too , the green with golden, but i wish tou fram it with the lion in the left because you closed the space infront of the lion but any way it is great .. well done

taivo (1843) 2004-03-17 11:58

The yellow-green color is really nice. The note is informative and makes the photo "speaks" more.

avigur_11 (22553) 2004-03-17 16:23

First, I should thank you for the excellent note, Abdrew, I never knew about that.
You really used a very effective angle and included the green tiles as a background. This is a very good idea, and the red-green-gold composition is excellent. I like the red paint.
Excellent sharp shot, very well done.

Rockyboy (20598) 2004-03-17 16:58

Very nice picture of a Lion that I added in my personal theme...
Also, with your note, I learn about Taoist temple. Colors are very nice and it is very good to have a dark background to see very well the gold lion. Well done, Andrew!

scalerman (26900) 2004-03-17 17:12

The shapes and colors work well here Andrew. It's a lovely canvas. Well sighted and photographed.

Jeppe (18654) 2004-03-17 17:34

I learn something every day - thanks to your note.
Very fine capture of this great lion - the green roof a perfect background to the gold surface - very well spotted, good work Andrew.

PLD_images (7149) 2004-03-17 18:08

This is a stunning image Andrew. I really like the colors and the sharpness of this work. I would have been tempted to put the lion on the other side of the photo as to leave room to where it is facing, but perhaps, you could not do that. The green roof is a very good contrast and adds a lot to this image.

Great and interesting note.

joseelias (0) 2004-03-18 8:58

Great colors and details! About the composition I think I would prefer to see the lion in the right part of the photo. This way it's almost like "facing a wall" and has no space to "breed".

Really great note.

dsidwell (9783) 2004-03-18 22:14

Nice pattern behind the lion. With the frame so close to its face, the image looks edgy and disturbing--but in a good way. Interesting composition.

jrj (34843) 2004-03-20 6:14

The setting with the golden lion in front of the green roof is very good and make this to a grand composition. Very good Andrew