The Naga of Wat Sila Ngu, a photo from Surat Thani, South

Photographer's Note

Few foreign visitors seem to visit this temple complex and it is a peaceful place to spend a couple of hours.
The golden chedi at the top of the steps is believed to contain a relic of the Lord Buddha.
The Naga or snake motif is an important iconic motif in Thai architecture. They are most commonly found on the hand rails of stairs or running down the edge of a temple roof. The body is sometimes coiled, but the head is usually raised. Often there are multiple heads. For Thais the Naga is a symbol of comfort and security because in the Buddhist scriptures a mystical serpent is described as protecting and sheltering the Buddha as he meditated.

Budapestman, abmdsudi, serp2000, fanni has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Budapestman (82620) 2011-05-17 13:57

Hi Rosemary,
a very spectacular photo with beautiful architectural details, the POV is superb, the colours and lights are very nice, beautiful atmosphere, Tfs! Have a nice evening! Kellemes estét kívánok!
György

abmdsudi (27098) 2011-05-18 22:12

Hi Rosemary
Briliant colours of this scene and interesting details captured. I like the composition with great perspective in this format and the prominent subject is well placed strategically. The steps lead the eyes through to the stuppa. The lively greenery provides natural framing, overall detail is sharp enough and contrast is superbly. However I expect more detail in the shadow areas in particular the naga being the main focal of interest. All in all a great image captured given the condition of the day. Well done. Congrats. Best regards

corjan3 (1879) 2011-05-19 5:08

Hello Rosemary,
Great depth and composition. The branch with leaves in the upper MG adds value and even the leaves partly obscuring the tower do not detract. Perhaps fill-in flash would have softened the shadow on the Naga without overexposing the rest of it, but a very pleasant image to view as is. Best wishes.
Neels.

wolf38 (28296) 2011-05-19 7:38

Hi Rosemary. Naga, the snake. This is a term in the mythology of this beautiful country. The giant snake and temples in the background are a good mix. Well done. Interesting. Rgds, Wolfgang.

serp2000 (29612) 2011-05-19 9:44

Very nice picture with some philosophic context, just a road to temple. My congratulations, Rosemary.
Superb colours and excellent sharpness. Well seen.
Greatful details!
Greetings from Russia,
Serghei

fanni (13874) 2011-07-09 15:18

Hello Rosemary,
the thumbnail of this picture caught my eye.
Indeed, this is a very interesting photo which has very many details, the Naga being one of the two main subjects along with the temple which we can see in the BG :)
I've read the others' critiques, and I partly agree with abmdsudi's words and fully agree with Neel's (corjan3) words re using the fill-in flash :) The flash would surely either soften the dark shadow or remove it completely (depending on the kind of flash, of course). I myself often use flash in such lighting conditions.
I wouldn't say that HDR would be a way out in this case! HDR flattens the image, which would simply spoil the whole picture (well, imho)... :)
On the whole, I like this composition which includes interesting beautiful things. The shadows on the staircase help to balance the composition nicely and fill in the empty space on the stairs:)

best wishes!
Elena