2024 Chinese New Year – Austin, Texas
The various other cultural displays lead up to the popular Lion Dance, which is always the finale. I was anticipating it, though maybe not ideally prepared for it with my lens selection. The Sigma 85mm f1.4 worked beautifully to isolate individual performers and blur distracting backgrounds. However, the cacophony of the Lion Dance was another story.
With multiple overlapping and rapidly moving Lions, it was hard to isolate one. They moved too close, making it hard to frame the entire mythical animal. My positioning was excellent as they came right up to me, but with an 85mm, I could only frame an eyeball. Note to self. Pack a super-wide angle next time, which would’ve worked wonderfully to capture the dancing Lions in front of an eager crowd.
I did have a few satisfactory pictures, however, and this is one of them. The lions were lined up in formation and far enough away that I could pick one out in a clean composition.
Facing the other way, I notice a lady gesturing to a Lion with lucky red envelopes of money in hand. I initially wished for a broader perspective, but I realized this closeup has an intimacy that makes it special. Removing the color simplified it further.
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