The dragon swiftly chased the orb through the clouds of smoke, up and down, glowing with energy as it flew after the ethereal pearl of prosperity through the air.
The pearl hovered in mid-air and released its aromatic vapours.
The dragon's gaze was fierce, focused, and piercing blue upon the sphere.
The pearl raced away, and reacting by instinct, the fire dragon chased after it in a flash of lightning speed.
The crowd suddenly broke up and chased jubilantly after the dragon and the pearl.
Policemen watched amused as the revelers turned the corner to witness the energetic acrobatic dance between the dragon and the pearl.
It all began earlier that evening with greetings from local figures celebrating this event at the cultural heart of the Chinese community in Chinatown. Many Chinese migrants traveled up north from California because of the gold rush. Others came to work in the railroads and projects where labour was needed, thus establishing a presence early in BC's colonial history.
The fire dragon, held aloft by nimble dance performers, was relentless in its chase of prosperity, good fortune, and protection.
The sound of drums, cymbals, and gongs rang out. The traditional instruments were wheeled in carts to keep up with the fleeing dragon and slippery pearl.
It was such a mad night that I don't know where this blue light came from.
The cacophony of sounds rose in the air as the dragon performed its expert aerial maneuvers, though try as it may, the creature could not reach the elusive billowing pearl.
They circled and swooped- steaming, eyes alight gleaming.
Lions materialized and performed a crafty masterful dance.
Quick martial steps. Up. Down. Sliding sideways. Standing up on hind legs. On its haunches to ward off bad fortune while bringing joy and prosperity.
I used long exposure for the shots. This allowed me to experiment under dynamic conditions of the moving subjects in the faint light of dusk. Other images are blurry because the performers were running at the time.
Highly energetic performance.
The smoke swirled and filled the sweet air. Dancing and cheering the tireless dragon who seeks good fortune.
The discordant music echoed down the street, the lights illuminating brightly, the smoke blew in fragrant clouds, and the crowd ran cheering the chasing spirit.
Having finally reached its destination at the memorial plaza, the dragon performed its ritual bringing blessings and warding off misfortune in the year.
Did it catch the pearl?
Vancouver, Chinatown
Omg, amazing ICM Shots, I just love this
!DIY
It was speedy run down the streets, so I had a lot of fun testing different conditions as the performances got underway.
I just adore Shots like this ❤️
What a great party, the colours and lights in the middle of the night and those imposing dragons.
When I saw this photograph, I thought about designs, art and Photoshop and those Mexclara textures, and I said, ‘Wow!’
It was a lively festival with lots of running. The blur motion effect is created solely by the long exposure and the movement of the performers, so I like how this particular photographic experiment turned out.
I love that effect, when I get a camera I'll try it!
I used a Pixel 7 phone using the long exposure setting. The function might be available in your phone too. Long exposure makes nighttime photography much more interesting.
I'll look it up on my phone, but it's old, ha ha ha, don't worry, I'll try it someday.