Black Dragon Pool, a photo from Yunnan, South

Photographer's Note

At the foot of Longquan Hill, about 17 kilometers (10 miles) north of the center of Kunming, there is a beautiful place called the Black Dragon Pool (Heilongtan), also known as the Dragon Fountain Temple (Longquanguan).
An ancient legend lends the Black Dragon Pool its name; it is said that a long time ago there were ten wicked dragons that caused much destruction and did great harm to people. One day, one of the Eight Immortals of the Chinese legend 'Lu Dongbin' subdued nine of the dragons and jailed them in a tower. Only the youngest black dragon was left, charging with protecting and benefiting the people as the price of its freedom. This dragon is believed living in the Black Dragon Pool till today. The pool is divided into two parts by a bridge, and although the water is connected, the two sides are different colors and the fish in either side never swim to the opposite part of the pool. Moreover, for hundreds of years, this wondrous pool has never dried up, even in drought years.

PaulVDV, ngk, ikeharel, ourania, chrislo, cornejo, holmertz, COSTANTINO, jjcordier, mirosu, SnapRJW, timecapturer, emilbo, photoray, krzychu30, jcpix, Schnappilic, RhodieIke, jhm, rychem, Subhogen, adramad, mvdisco, pajaran, danos, ricardomattos, Didi, delpeoples, nikkitta, ChrisJ, fotka has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

PaulVDV (55455) 2014-02-21 9:15

Hello Kamila,
Beautiful as a painting!
In December it's still Fall in Lijiang. The autumn tones of the leaves are really a wonderful backdrop for this beautiful picture of the temple and the bridge.
Splendid reflections. The minor distortions are very pretty.
Excellent composition. Beautiful with the human presence on the bridge.
Best regards, Paul

lousat (130487) 2014-02-21 9:25

Hi Kamila,absolutely beautiful! The autumn colors of the trees are the perfect frame to this magnificent temple,great choice of point of view to take so well the reflections on the pool,impressives details and warm colors too,i like it! Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

carlo62 (81265) 2014-02-21 10:14

Ciao Kamila
inquadratura ineccepile, colori meravigliosi e un riflesso incredibilmente bello, tre elementi che compongono una foto splendida.
Complimenti
Carlo

ngk (2413) 2014-02-21 10:19

Hi kamila,
Impressive picture!! Amazing colors, very nice contrast and beautiful reflections!
Congrats.
Have a nice weekend
nasos k.

macjake (96271) 2014-02-21 10:32

Hi Kamila
this photo would be an excellent jigsaw puzzle haha

awesome story about the dragons! look out for them! :)

the colors of the trees in the bg makes the overall scene just that much more attractive don't you think? its beautiful.

you have history, architecture, a great story, reflections, water, sweet light...whats not to admire here!
well done
cheers
craig

ourania (51103) 2014-02-21 10:40

Hello Kamila,
a place of great natural and architectural beauty, presented in a most elegant composition. I like very much the elements you selected for your composition and the perspective of your capture. There's excellent balance in your frame and fine distribution of interest. Each element is distinguished by its textures and colours but there's also a fine chromatic harmony. The reflections complete the composition delightfully but don't distract or overthrow the harmony, you used them masterfully. Congratulations and thank you!
All the best, have a great weekend,
Ourania

chrislo (4097) 2014-02-21 10:58

Hello Kamila,
What a a fabulous shot, so beautifully composed. This scene almost resembles a painting. Though it may have been photographed many times, you have executed it perfectly. The whole image is pin sharp and there is detail in everything. The graceful bridge, the elegant pagoda with the curved roofs, the lovely relfection in the pool and the glorious trees in their vibrant fall colours make this image really outstanding. The light is superb, and the bright colours enhance the beauty of this picture. Excellent work.
Kind regards,
Christian

Romano46 (18472) 2014-02-21 11:10

Ciao Kamila
l'ennesimo gioello riportato dalla Cina.
Colori, nitidezza e composizione impeccabili.
Bravissima
Ciao e buon fine settimana
Romano

Silvio1953 (206835) 2014-02-21 11:43

Ciao Kamila, great view of fantastic temple, fascinating reflections, wonderful colors, excellent clarity and splendid light, very well done my friend, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

cornejo (61504) 2014-02-21 11:57

Hi Kamila, lovely view of this beautiful place, very well composed with beautiful bridge and interesting temple, perfectly captured by a great POV with excellent and beautiful photography. Wonderful image of a lovely place, very good sharpness, depth and quality. An excellent job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy weekend.
Warm greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

No_One (4) 2014-02-21 12:09

Hi Kamila.
Such a beautiful legend, and for me even more so as the dragon is my favorite legendary creature (I was born in the year of the dragon!) I love the story almost as much as I love your capture of it. The scene is laid out so perfectly, with the eye being drawn equally to the beautiful pagoda as the bridge. And the design of the bridge does remind me of the back of some giant reptile, a dragon perhaps with its spines pointing proudly towards the sky.
No wind those fish won't go from one side to the other, with a dragon this size protecting the pass :)
Thanks as always
Noel

holmertz (93452) 2014-02-21 12:44

Hello Kamila,
Again you show us a photo of amazing colours and contrasts, besides being a very good composition. The rusty red tones create a theme that appears all over the photo: in the trees, the pavilion and the terrace. It's beautifully matched by the dark green trees. The bridge is spectacularly reflected in the water and the lady's coat provides a shining red spot that stands out among the colours of natural materials.
Kind regards,
Gert

COSTANTINO (104909) 2014-02-21 12:49

Hello
a shot that makes me travel all over the
world artistic scenery with the autumn
colors dominating and the tones of the
leaves are really breathtaking
the reflections have been perfectly
executed a place of great natural
and architectural beauty
sot divorsed into two parties
the one with the traditional construction
and the second one with pale color tones
regards
have a nice weekend
Costantino

yquem46 (38752) 2014-02-21 14:10

hello Kamila
Splendid really !
Excellent compo, nice warm light, fall colors in the trees
Beautiful !
bravo, have a nice WE
patrick

daddo (28728) 2014-02-21 15:09

Hi Kamila. Superb exposure and composition. I love the golden light, the reflections, the presence of the people and the autumn trees.Nicely balanced too. My compliments. Klaudio.

npecanhuk (79329) 2014-02-21 18:40

Hello Kamila!
Magnificent place & details1
Wonderful picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, horizontal format, black & white borders, chosen pov and composition are all oustanding photo qualities here that I truly enjoyed!
TFS - congrats,
Enjoy your week-end,
Neyvan

jjcordier (79299) 2014-02-21 22:43

Kamila
Très bonne photo de ce bel endroit de Chine. La lumière est superbe, donnant de beaux reflets, et les couleurs d'automne splendides. Bonne note.
Amicalement
JJ

mirosu (16313) 2014-02-21 22:51

Hello Kamila,
I think that you spent some time studying composition and wisely waited for the people on the bridge without other crowd around. The framing is spot on - you have positioned the pavilion nicely on the right side and the bridge in lower part part of the frame, in this way you have created excellent balance and harmony. The left side is well filled with the water with beautiful reflections. In this way all the elements in this photo are excellently balanced. The background interest is abundant in texture and detail; and the nice trees colors are creating excellent contrasting background. I like this photo a lot. Well done my friend.
Wish you a very nice weekend.
Greetings,
Miro

SnapRJW (31631) 2014-02-21 23:25

Hello Kamila - I know it's not in blue and white but the elements of this scene remind me so much of the design on the Willow Pattern plates! The pagoda and little bridge are so ironically Chinese. What a beautiful shot. The balanced composition with harmonious warm colours is delightful and the presence of water has provided some attractive reflections.

Very nice indeed. Rosemary

emka (153254) 2014-02-21 23:36

Witaj Kamilka,

Ach, jest i Black Dragon Pool (niedaleko centrum Lijiang, nie Kunming :)). przepiekne miejsce a na Twoim zdjeciu wyglada fantastycznie. Podobają mi sie te kolory jesieni, wspaniałe odbicie typowego chińskiego mostku. Super obrazek, bardzo mi sie podoba, oczywiście.

Pozdriwawm MAłgorzata

SWEETFREEDOM (24623) 2014-02-21 23:51

Hi Kamila,
i like these characteristic buildings with the autumn trees in bg. excellent sharpness.
regards
Alessandro

BennyV (32590) 2014-02-22 2:31

Ni hao Kamilia

A postcard perfect shot, with lovely autumn colours and truly superb reflection of the white bridge on the left.

Benny

timecapturer (49288) 2014-02-22 3:22

Hi Kamila
a WoW! shot this. A stunningly beautiful place that you have captured equally as beautifully. The composition and detailing here are exquisite, but it is the autumnal colours that make it so special and eye-catching. Awesome!

Enjoy your weekend - B.

abmdsudi (89281) 2014-02-22 6:14

Hi Kamila
The splashes of late autumnal colours and golden light are stunning and good enough in themselves shaded by wonderful sky and speck of red is really a bonus. The prominent and at its reflection carry more weight as it deserved in making this shot. Gorgeous capture, Congrats
Best regards

jurek1951 (42198) 2014-02-22 6:28

Witaj Kamila,
ciekawa jest ta architektura dalekiego wschodu,ladna jesienna kolorystyka,pozdrawiam
Jurek

emilbo (22616) 2014-02-22 7:03

All^ço Kamila!
Vraiment merveilleuse cette photo aux couleurs automnales. La scène est magnifique et tous les éléments sont très intéressants. Le pont est de toute beauté et les reflets sont splendides. Un beau tableau que j'aime beaucoup.
Bravo!… et bonne fin de semaine,
Emilius

ikeharel (106327) 2014-02-22 7:10

Good evening Kamila,
Perfect POV over the Pagoda and white bridge, with a nice reflection on water.
Surrounded by autumn colored tyrees, gave a fantastic BG to the premises.
Picture space used beautifully, and the details are shown in great light and clarity. The place itself is intriguing photography-wise.
Enjoy your weekend,
Ike

serp2000 (47063) 2014-02-22 7:25

Wow! Superb! My congratulations, Kamila!
Astonishing view of the Temple. Perfect quality, wonderful colors, fine details. I'd like to add the Chinese bamboo flute on the bakground of so attractive composition! TFS!
Greetings from Russia!
Serghei

Fis2 (156594) 2014-02-22 8:55

Witaj Kamila!
Piêkny most i ciekawa budowla.
Wspaniale kolory i kompozycja.
Odbicie w wodzie dodaje uroku tej fotografii.
Lubie to.
Milego wieczoru.
Krzysztof

photoray (13981) 2014-02-22 11:01

Howdy Kamila,

Very attractive view of the Black Dragon Pool, the golden arches and white arched bridge reflected in the colorful water, classical temple, and a autumn colored backdrop.
And a magical legend befitting such a beautiful place.

Well done,
Cheers,
Ray

krzychu30 (15512) 2014-02-22 14:50

Czesc Kamila,
piekne miejsce,wspaniala kompozycja i naprawde wyjatkowy,spokojny klimat sceny.No i oczywiscie pelna "egzotyka"dla nas.
Super temat na zdjecie i super wykonanie!
Zdjecie jest znakomicie dopracowane i ma urzekajaca grafike!

Pozdrawiam i zycze milej niedzieli
Krzysiek

jcpix (14030) 2014-02-22 19:14

Hi Kamila,

This entire area must have been a nightmare for your boyfriend, I mean...how many photo opportunities exist here? :) I can just imagine stopping every few meters to try and create a new and interesting composition from everything that's available.

You sure came up with a solid one here, and the colors are outstanding, in every aspect of light and material...both man-made and nature. An absolute gorgeous view upon this temple, made even more impressive with the reflection. Excellent all the way around! have a great day ahead. Take care.

Friendly wishes,

Jason

wolf38 (30) 2014-02-23 1:05

Hello Kamila. What a beautiful and worth seeing photo. The Chinese Landscape Architecture is one of the most impressive in the world. Good kompiniert and presented. Informative text.
Rgds, Wolfgang.

Nicou (193806) 2014-02-23 1:50

Hello

quels tons dorés dominant sueprbe iamge quel temple avec la belle végétation en or et ces reflet superbe iamge et captage.
Bravo et amitié
Nicou

subhendu_bagchi (26091) 2014-02-23 4:15

hello,
wonderful presentation here. I love this composition with fine depth and warm colour tone. Beautiful reflection in water. I like the black circles created by the arches of the bridge. Great one. Tfs.
S

dudipeter (285) 2014-02-23 8:03

Witaj.
Piękna kolorystyka.
Piotr

Schnappilic (9692) 2014-02-23 13:03

Hello Kamila,

Superb picture from China. Great frame, colors, light, sharpness. All is well harmonized. Congratulations!

Best regards,

Ovidiu

RhodieIke (11752) 2014-02-23 22:01

Hi Kamila,

You have a super image of Black Dragon Pool, love all the architecture, it reminds me of the pattern on plates you see of old China.
Great Pov, splendid autumnal colours, great reflection of the bridge, Tfs,

Cheers, Iain.

Mics (1020) 2014-02-23 22:50

Hello Kamila,
Indeed a beautiful photo. I love the natural autumn colors reinforced by the classic temple and the curvaceous bridge making this like a scene in classic Chinese movies. Beautiful composition, nice work!

Kind regards,
Michelle

Graal (103040) 2014-02-23 23:19

Witaj,
kolejne chinskie pieknosci. Ladne miejsce dobrze sfotografowane. Atrakcyjne mostki i pagoda. Fajne odbicia w wodzie. Dobry strzal i prezentacja tutaj.
Milego tygodnia.
Aleksander

Apurba20 (984) 2014-02-23 23:59

Hi Kamila
You have a great eye for detail. I have never seen a bridge and its reflection clicked so beautifully.
Am left speechless.
Apurba

jhm (203847) 2014-02-24 5:19

Hello Kamila,

This is really a post card of these area, roofs, bridge and reflections be superb
Really a very good technical picture also wonderful colours.
The river and building cares for a wonderful composition.
Very well done, TFS.

Have a nice day,
John.

Oceania (5202) 2014-02-24 6:45

Hi Kamila,

I think this picture is the best so far in your China series. The dark pavilion and light bridge contrasts beautifully. The colorful trees do make difference. It makes picture more beautiful.

rychem (72179) 2014-02-24 8:50

Ależ dużo sie dzieje na tym zdjęcie, a na dodatek piękne jesienne kolory, doskonała kompozycja pięknym mostkiem i pawilonem, super
Pozdrawiam
Ryszard

Subhogen (4067) 2014-02-24 9:54

Hello Kamila,
There are so many things to admire in this beautiful composition...the photogenic bridge, the perfect reflections in the water, the beautiful pagoda style temple and the bright autumn colours. Nicely done to capture all these beautiful elements in one single frame.
My compliments and thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Subho

dta (98562) 2014-02-24 10:14

Hello Kamila ;
Fantastic architecture , wonderful colors and reflections . Excellent angle of view and framing .
Splendid !

adramad (67528) 2014-02-24 13:00

Hi Kamila.
Wow ..... That marvel of composition, I think this composition to all the dreams that we all have, so that we can offer this country is adjusted in terms of exoticism ...
Beautiful pagoda, bridge and lovely reflections and the background, the wonderful variety of shades of color in the trees, everything is perfect ....
Splendid palette.
A beautiful job very well done.
With good lighting and sharpness.
Have a nice day.
Best wishes.
Luis.

mvdisco (17798) 2014-02-24 16:39

Hi Kamilla, Bonjour,
Beautiful composition and presentation,
Nice point of view and details of these great china architecture,
great reflection on water and autumn scene,
I like the pedestrian bridge too,
very well done.....Michel

pajaran (103555) 2014-02-24 22:01

Dobar dan.
Dobar tekst o mestu i hramu, i opis ...
Lep pogled i trenutak ...
Dobar trenutak snimka, ostrina i kontrast, lepo pokazano mesto i arhitektura, lepe boje.
Dobro ulovljen trenutak sa lepim refleksom na vodi.
Imajte lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Good afternoon.
A good article about the place and the temple, and description ...
Nice view and a second ...
Good time recording, sharpness and contrast, nice place and demonstrated architecture, beautiful colors.
Well captured moments with a nice reflex on water.
Have a nice day, all the best.
Paja.

fabbs99 (17179) 2014-02-24 23:10

Hello Kamila,

Brilliant shot of the Black Dragon Pool.Very well captured with good lightings and sharpness.Very well done.TFS.

Cheers
Farhat

danos (110407) 2014-02-25 1:05

Witaj Kamila,
a really spectacular and beautiful postcard from this town of China.The falling warm light spread out on the whole scene making it so charmy and unique.The created reflections and the excellent light of the day enhance the beauty of it.Well done.

Regards,danos

Gigidusud (21679) 2014-02-25 5:38

Hello Kamila,
Beautiful composition with nice architecture, splendid autumn colors and great reflections on the water. I love it!
Best regards.
Gigi

mkamionka (62146) 2014-02-25 6:27

Czesc Kamila,
sliczny widok, doskonale pokazany. Podobaja mi sie te jesienne kolory. Most jak rowniez brzeg stawu sa stylowe I dobrze zadbane. Odbicie w wodzie oczywiscie jeszcze bardziej wzmacnia pierwszy plan -ozywia go. w szczegolnosci odbicie mostku ktory twoy ciekawe kola. Budyneczek bardzo atrakcyjny I rowniez ladnie polozony w kadrze.
Znakomita praca, bardzo przyjemnie sie oglada.
Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
M

ricardomattos (15468) 2014-02-25 18:57

Oi Kamila,

Wonderful image ! A lovely place to know and to shot, of course. Amazing colors and reflections. Beautiful and romantic too.

Congratulations !!

Ricardo

Cricri (176) 2014-02-26 10:20

Hi Kamila
Merveilleuse présentation, les couleurs sont splendides, l'architecture belle et intéressante, bon POV avec les reflets, magnifique
Belle soirée
cricri

Didi (61589) 2014-02-27 2:36

Hi Kamilia
Fantastic place with nice autumnal colours
Great lights ambiance
Well done
Kind regards

Royaldevon (76608) 2014-03-01 3:28

Hello Kamila,

This is an exquisite shot.
The details are sharp and the colours so very rich.
Your chosen viewpoint takes every advantage of the lines and the reflections, leading to the focal bridge.
The second focal image is strongly positioned and has those amber trees as a stunning backcloth.
I think the inclusion of the people has animated the shot and given it an extra boost of interest.

Thank you for sharing this and have a great w/e,
Bev :-)

delpeoples (60326) 2014-03-01 21:55

Dear Kamila

What an exquisite name for this romantic looking place. I love the golden light that floods the image and illuminates the water so beautifully. The reflections are equally beautiful and finish the image so elegantly. Well done!

Warmest wishes
Lisa

nikkitta (17070) 2014-03-04 12:25

Hola Kamila

You arrived in China at the best time, to catch the golden colors of Autumn that gige this attractive golden color at the impresive capture
Lot of well placed elements like the bridge ( with people) and it reflections on the pool
Very interesting and informative note also, like dragons always present in China ( leyends and archirecture)
Cheers
Maria

corjan3 (2109) 2014-03-05 8:37

Hello Kamila,
Another fantastic image by you. The autumn colours adds so much to an already beautiful image. The placement of the various elements, the bridge, the people and the little pagoda, is just perfect. A real pleasure to view. Well done.
Neels

eldancer1 (36343) 2014-03-06 7:37

Beautiful capture of this ancient park especially with fall colors still visible. Good lighting and sharp details. Well done, tfs.

ChrisJ (160994) 2014-03-10 8:05

Hello Kamila,

I know this spot! It was raining but I still manged to get a decent shot. Wonderful sharpness with punchy light contrasts and superb warm cold colour contrasts Oh & here is a link to my shot:

http://www.treklens.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=71130

kwekwekan (1078) 2014-03-23 10:10

Hello Kamila,
Fantastic composition with the trees, temple and bridge perfectly placed and balanced with one another. A lovely autumnal colour palette as well that is nicely lit and beautifully reflected in the glistening pool.
Well done,
Caleb

jmdias (103792) 2014-03-29 6:45

kamila

amazing monuments. the framing is perfect showing the temple and the bridge. marvelous golden effect, light and reflections. TFS.

hugs

jorge

fotka (7599) 2014-04-04 6:32

Witaj Kamila,
Zagladajac do twojej gallerii zauwazylem ze odwiedzilas Chiny z koncem ubieglego roku. Wynik tej podrozy to wiele slicznych zdjec.
To zdjecia bardzo mi sie podaba z diagonalna kompozycja na pierwszym planie i swiatynia w tyle. Chociaz to grudzien przesliczne kolory drzew and takze wspaniale odbice na wodzie.
Swietnej jakosci zdjecie.
Przyjemnej niedzieli,
Zbigniew

dale54 (17456) 2014-05-21 10:20

hello kamila..thanks for your comment..simply love this shot of yours..very relaxing to look at..superb reflection! dale

wetmarbel (223) 2016-04-27 5:56