Quote:
Originally Posted by motorzen  Nice!
I'd love to go take orchid pics. When? Where? |
Well, next Monday evening is the meeting of the Northwest Orchid Society, at the Center for Urban Horticulture. There will be a lot of plants on display. See
index for meeting info & directions.
There are also some American Orchid Society judged shows coming up over the next few months - Portland, Eugene, Spokane, and, in April, Seattle (at Seattle Center). There is also a monthly judging session in Tacoma, where people bring plants to be looked at, but those typically don't offer much in the way of 'casual' photo opportunities.
Let me give you a little background on the images I posted. I do photography for the Pacific Northwest Judging Center of the American Orchid Society. Essentially, what I do is to take a 'botanical record' shot of all of the plants that get awarded by the AOS in this area. The bright red Phragmipedium is a Phrag. Jason Fischer, and it received an FCC - the First Class Certificate. This is a pretty rare award; there are usually only about 10-12 of them given each year, throughout the country (and Canada). The Brassolaeliacattleya received an Award of Merit at the Mount Baker Orchid Society show and sale in Mount Vernon a couple of weeks ago.
The photos I shoot are used by the AOS judges around the country when another plant of the same species or hybrid cross shows up. If they feel the flowers are good enough to get an award, they research the prior awards to see how the one they are examining compares to those that have been previously awarded. The image goes along with a full botanical description, which includes measurements of all of the main flower parts, and a description of the flower and growth habits, etc.
I am handed the plant by the judges immediately after they have written the description and taken the measurements, and I take it to where I have set up my equipment and background. I usually use a black background about 18" behind the plant (to eliminate shadows), but sometimes use a neutral grey, and have been experimenting with a brown. I remove all plant stakes, tiedowns, tags, and any other distracting elements, if I can do it safely without damaging the plant or flowers.
The lighting I use is a Novatron 600 watt-second power pack feeding a pair of color-balanced strobe heads that are pointed away from the flower and bounced off of silver (left) and white (right) umbrellas. I try to keep about 1/2 to 1 stop of difference between the main (left) and fill (right) lights to bring out the texture.
I can be a little bit artistic, but there are some very specific guidelines about how the flowers should be photographed. The type of photo needed can also vary with the specific type of award that it has received. Usually, they need a shot that shows a flower, straight on, without any distractions.
I used to have to shoot an entire roll (36 exposures) of slide film, all of the same shot (in-camera dupes), so that each judging center could get an original slide with a couple 'left over' for me to use. With digital I usually take one good shot, and may do a few extra with slight composition or lighting changes so I can pick the 'best' to send in. The only manipulation I can do to the image is to make sure the lighting and color balance are right... no Photoshopping to take out flaws or anything like that.
OK; that was probably way more than you wanted to know about how, where, and why I make those images!