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SEAN EATON
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At the January meeting, AAOS members John Lewis,
Lynn O'Shaughnessy and Dennis Moser described the equipment and procedures involved
in taking pictures of orchids, and shared several valuable tips with those of us
who would like to enhance our enjoyment of the hobby in this way. In addition, there
was an interesting display of orchid inspired art, including glassware, ceramics,
photographs, paintings, jewelry, textiles and even postage stamps.
John Lewis began the presentation by listing helpful items to have for picture
taking. These included: single lens camera with 50mm lens, macro-lenses, various
close-up lenses, (the type that screw into the front of the camera), reverse rings,
(which allow you to reverse the lenses and so alter their relative power), extension
tubes and various other items. As a cost saving measure, John suggested using different
arrangements of lenses and extension tubes to facilitate magnification and reduce
the expense of purchasing individual macro-lenses. For example, he has used a 100mm
lens with a reversed wide angle lens in front to do `vignetting' effects on some
of his shots. The trade off is the added time and `grueling work' that these manipulations
involve.
Also important to have on hand is a flash meter to balance and modify light
levels, and a tripod to keep the camera still during long exposure times. Sources
of light include the natural lighting of greenhouses or windows, or various arrangements
of flash equipment. Achieving the appearance of natural lighting using a flash can
be a challenge. John suggested either positioning a second flash or using white paper
to reflect the flash and soften the harshness of the light. Additional things to
be concerned with when setting up to take slides or pictures: depth of field, avoiding
direct sun, making sure to filter for blueness in low light conditions, and making
adequate use of backlighting.
John then showed a series of slides illustrating some of the problems and solutions
the photographer of orchids can encounter. These included using a background that
distracts from the subject, `blueness' in low light conditions affecting the true
color of the subject, leaves in the way of flowers, (Lynn later on suggested using
florist's wire to mold and pose plants in order to deal with this), cheap film resulting
in graininess, and the effects of background on the apparent color of a subject--John
recommended manipulating this experimentally for best effect. Another challenge is
to photograph a bloom with a complex depth of field, for example Paphiopedilum. It
may be that the photographer will have to focus on either the dorsal sepal, or the
lip, but not both features.
One important idea John discussed had to do with the need for balance between
light from the front of the subject, (to bring out floral detail), and from the back,
(to enhance the true colors of the subject). This is especially important for orchids
that are dark in color, have waxy or shiny surfaces, or are very small, such as Pleurothallids.
There were also some suggestions about the composition of the photograph. Although
John often works with dark background materials, the nearness of the camera to the
plant automatically darkens the background significantly. When shooting complex spikes
of flowers, he recommends focusing on the best bloom in the cluster and avoiding
filling the entire frame with flowers. Other tips included shooting odd, as opposed
to even, numbers of flowers, and diagonallly arranging blooms for a more pleasing
and naturalistic appearance.
Lynn O'Shaughnessy became interested in orchid photography as a means of making
records of the flowers in her collection. She maintains books of notes and prints
for future reference, including notes about differences between slides and pictures,
and the results of various developers. Later on she began to enter her photographs
in orchid shows. She prefers to use the natural light in her greenhouse, arranging
her shots for later in the day when the lighting is softer and shaded so that she
can avoid direct sun. She uses a 50mm macro-lens to get real close to her plants,
and suggests using extension tubes to focus in closer. However, she cautions against
arranging too many lenses between the camera and its subject because 'the more glass
the more you lose in definition.'
The background of her photographs is less important a concern because her favorite
subjects are the small blooms of Masdevallias and other Pleurothallids. With the
camera quite close to the plant, (often about 1 and « inches) and the flash
only going so far, backgrounds are naturally dark. Nevertheless, a light background
is necessary in some cases to highlight darker details on petals and sepals, for
example, the dark hairs on the petals of Paphiopedilum. She has a favorite blue binder
that serves as the background of many of her prints. She cautions that, due to the
relatively long exposure times, (up to 30 seconds), the photographer must control
for such unexpected sources of vibration as fans and greenhouse equipment.
Lynn also had some suggestions for composition of photographs. Floral wire can
be used to stabilize and arrange the plant as well as isolate the flower from the
leaves. Different angles and directions can be used to bring out various features
in the subject. A simple flashlight can be used to `warm up' the picture. Don t forget
to attempt shots of the entire plant to appreciate its form.
Digital photography was the topic of Dennis Moser's section of the presentation.
He had begun with large format photography, then progressed to close-up work, and
finally began to explore use of digital equipment. This is a new technology still
in the developmental stages, but shows tremendous potential for both the enhancement
and transmission of photographic images.
To would-be digital photographers he would pose the question: `What do you want
to use the images for?' Dennis feels that digital imaging provides an economic and
efficient means of getting images up on the web, but that the quality produced by
the average digital camera does not yet compare with what is possible with digitizing
prints and slides. One option may be to take ordinary photographs to a video lab
and have them digitalized on a photo CD or to have prints scanned and stored similarly
for use later. Other technological problems yet to be resolved include controlling
for light and the relatively high cost of the equipment needed to obtain quality
images comparable to digitized prints and slides.
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