What was the most important thing you have ever forgotten on a vacation? My answer is my DSLR camera.  It is inevitable- I ALWAYS forget something!  I thought this was the biggest mistake I had ever made.  Luckily, I was wrong.  Forgetting my “fancy” camera actually forced me to have a blast while using my iphone camera to take pictures at the Chinese Lantern Festival located at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens in North Carolina.  I had SO MUCH FUN playing with the different settings on my phone which I wasn’t to familiar with.  The results…. some really unique snapshots of handmade, life-sized (or larger) sculptures called “The Wild”.  Travel around the world with me ….

The sculptures or “lanterns” from the Chinese Lantern Festival are not the typical hand-held lamps you are probably thinking of.  These “lanterns” have evolved from the historic silk and paper version from ancient China, to these modern sculptures handmade in Zigong, China.  “The Wild” is created of 800 lanterns of illuminated animals and fauna from around the world. Some are created with a metal frame covered in rayon fabric, while others lanterns are created from shiny glass bottles, plates, and teacups.  It was an incredible journey I took through several places on Earth…  shot through the lense of my iphone6…

I hope you enjoyed these photos.  It was SO much fun adjusting the setting to try to get the lanterns in focus. Which photo did you like the best?

You might also like: