Tag Archives: animal

Chinese Astrology Rabbit Statue in Kowloon, Hong Kong

Posted on January 21st, 2016 by

What is Your Sign?

I can’t say I fully understand the intricacies of Chinese Astrology. I think I know two things:

  1. It seems to have little in common with Western Astrology.
  2. I am the Rabbit.

When I visited Kowloon’s Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple the place was packed…I walked in shoulder to shoulder with other tourists and worshipers. There wasn’t a clear shot of much so I focused on close-up work. You know…creativity is an attribute of both the Rabbit AND Pisces!

Chinese Astrology Rabbit Statue in Kowloon, Hong Kong
Chinese Astrology Rabbit Statue in Kowloon, Hong Kong

Photo Technical Info

Fox Prayer Card

Posted on December 17th, 2015 by

Shinto Fox Prayer Cards

The major Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan is Fushimi Inari Taisha. It is one of the most amazing religious places I have see first hand (up there with Notre Dame and La Sagrada Familia). The Tori Gates go on and on and on, winding through the adjacent mountains and forests. The builders of this place must have loved nature or they wanted to get away from the THRONGS of people at the main entrance.

I have seen prayer cards before in Japan, but Fushimi Inari Taisha had several including these great fox faces. The fox is a messenger in Shinto (I am NO Shinto expert) and who better to carry your prayers! Many of the people drawing were quite good artists! This anime girl caught my attention among the row and rows of prayers.

Fox Prayer Card
Fox Prayer Card

Photo Technical Info

Behold! The Monkey Fortune Teller Sees All

Posted on December 14th, 2015 by

Come! Monkey Fortune Teller See the Future!

I visited New York last week for work and had a bit of time one day to go into the city to see a few sights. I have been to NYC a number of times in the past, but this was my first visit during the Christmas season. I have long known large city’s stores, New York City’s in particular, have HUGE competition in window displays…I grew up watching Mannequin after all! I was ill prepared for what that really meant.

This was but one of the super elaborate crystal encrusted window displays at Bergdorf Goodman. The first one I gaped at was a monkey fortune teller in a swami wrap, gazing into his crystal ball to foretell some damsel’s future! If you are in Midtown Manhattan before the end of the year, do yourself a favor and stop by to see the window art these fantastic sculptors have created this year!

Behold! The Monkey Fortune Teller Sees All
Behold! The Monkey Fortune Teller Sees All

Photo Technical Info

Guardian at Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai China

Posted on September 3rd, 2015 by

Ancient Guard

This dog, lion or spirit guards (with its companion flanking the other side) one of the entrances to Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai. You see these statues all over China guarding places from evil spirits or marauding bandits. I always grab a shot of their fierceness and love trying to find new ways to see them when processing.

Guardian at Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai China
Guardian at Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai China

Photo Technical Info

Lion of Singapore

Posted on June 29th, 2015 by

Lion in the Urban Jungle

A quick photo for today, but one that I hope illustrates the importance of keeping a sharp eye out! If I was hurrying, I would have missed this statue of the Lion of Singapore enshrouded in the jungle-like fauna of The Garden by the Bay in Singapore. The lion is everywhere in Singapore, sometimes hiding even in plain sight!

Lion of Singapore
Lion of Singapore

Photo Technical Info

Iron Panda

Posted on June 12th, 2014 by

I Went to the Mall in Hong Kong!

Ok, OK, I know what you are thinking…you went all the way to China and you went to the MALL! Hear me out. I happened to be staying at the Hyatt at K11 and had heard about the strange and very interesting art collection housed at the mall. I assumed it was a gimmick and nothing more, totally writing off a visit. When I was returning from my oh so wonderfully clear night on Victoria Peak, I decided to stop by on my way into the hotel (there are several entrances to the Hyatt inside the mall after all). I was floored! The juxtaposition of their wonderful art collection (mostly contemporary Chinese artists) to those elements purely for consumption had my head spinning with thoughts about where fashion, art, consumption, waste, longevity, youth, sweet shops, labor (on and on) all intersect and interrelate.

Iron Panda

This guy is a sculpture of fiberglass and steel and resin by artist Bi Heng. It was this sculpture that initially caught my attention, drawing me into the zigzag that is K11. Iron Panda combines three elements, the giant panda, his iron man suit and tai chi (nature, technology and spirit); his melancholy is apparent beneath his powerfully rugged exterior. Mankind abandoning our heritage in pursuit of technological power, but perhaps balance can save us if we only work to find it (paraphrased from what I recall of the artists statement and my own interpretation).

Iron Panda
Iron Panda

Photo Technical Info

  • Aperture: ƒ/8
  • Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark II
  • Taken: 26 May, 2014
  • Focal length: 24mm
  • ISO: 100
  • Shutter speed: 1/2s
  • Title: Iron Panda

The Sunning Seal

Posted on September 10th, 2012 by

Hiking

It seems the best beaches in Maui require a bit of a hike. I am all for this honestly, you need exercise to look good in that bathing suit right? The Red Sand beach in Maui, Hawaii is another one of those places you should forget I am mentioning. Its hard to get to, dangerous…you shouldn’t go! Wow is it neat! It is really just a very small cove that is, well red. Its more of a fine gravel than a sand, but its so cool I didn’t really care.

Marine Life

The first thing I noticed was the red sand. The second, the nude sunbathers (why oh why are they always hippies). The third thing I noticed was this awesome seal sunbathing with everyone else. He was very still and I feared at first he might be dead. A product of the circle of life, but when the water would get to close, he would lively flop his way further onshore in irritation. He didn’t seem to mind the children on the beach or me getting close enough for a picture so I grabbed this shot.

HDR Photography
The Sunning Seal by W. Brian Duncan