Longleat: Festival of Light

Hello Ladies and Gents,

So just before New Years I visited the Festival of Light at Longleat Safari & Adventure Park. I didn’t take many pictures of the animals living here, or of inside the historic stately home though.  The main reason for this visit was the impressive display of chinese lanterns set up throughout the park.  These impressive structures were all made from silk and ranged from delicate flowers to wild beasts on parade.  I’ve never really tried taking photos like this before as it poses quite a difficult situation; balancing increasing darkness as the evening progressed, but also the vibrant colours and light produced by the subjects.  With this in mind I tried my best to capture the event as best I could.

I hope these images give you an idea of how impressive and stunning these structures were.

Leading up to the stately home, you are greeted with colourful structures varying in size and impact.

What would the festive period be without a grand and tastefully decorated tree?

This was the entrance to the trail of lights. Happy how I caught the light just right in this shot

Although the masks were full of colour, they represent the masks worn by brave samurai!

These models were impressive even before night fell and they were illuminated.

The colours in these elephants came alive when the lights came on.

Detailed and elegantly made, all the lanterns were made of silk.

I couldn’t get too close to this display, but numerous animals were created for the festival.

Out on a lake we were presented with a number of floating displays. So much colour, and yet incredibly peaceful.

This structure was impressive to begin with, but the lights just brought it to life.

This night was so cold, I had to fight my shivers to get a clear image!

As always please let me know what you think of my work, any criticism is gladly welcome. Did anyone else manage to see this impressive display?

Take care,

Iain x