Showy Pair

Gallery: FloraPosted June 21, 2012151 views16 comments

Thank for the comments on my last post of this rare species, the showy lady's slipper. I think about half of the plants I saw at this site had pairs of flowers like this. This is a pretty straight ID shot with much flatter light than the single flower I shot. (I think comparing it to the previous shot illustrates how important the angle and strength of the light and shadows are in bringing out the somewhat subtle fluted shapes in the pouch.) This is just a horizontal crop of a vertical ID shot I made of the whole plant. I like the full vertical frame (see my comment below) but decided to post this one to zero in on the difference in the lighting.

Canon 5DII
Sigma 150 Macro; Circ. Polarizer
1/250 sec. @ f/8; ISO 640
Tripod; 2-sec. timer

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on June 21, 2012 at 11:10 PM

Here's the whole shot. I always like to take a picture of the whole plant. It's important in many cases for a correct ID. (Not in this case, of course.)

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Brigitte Lorenz on June 22, 2012 at 1:24 AM

a really beautiful flower,Wayne....both versions are very nice, great light and wonderful colors, well done!!!

Brigitte

Registered on January 10, 2009, 187 Posts, 1507 Comments

Comment posted by David Schwaegler on June 22, 2012 at 6:24 AM

Magnificent flowers expertly photographed.

Registered on December 4, 2003, 232 Posts, 1652 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on June 22, 2012 at 8:15 AM

Nice one, Wayne. Beautiful specimen. A third alternate comp is the whole vertical version but cropped from the bottom just above the leaf in the LRC.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on June 22, 2012 at 8:24 AM

These are beautiful flowers and the lighting really shows them off well in all three pictures. Getting two of these beauties in the same frame is a real bonus and the focus on the flowers in the horizontal crop is great, but I do wish the top leaf wasn't cut off. Admittedly, adding that extra bit to the top of the frame will change the balance, so it's not clear that there's a "perfect" solution.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Windom on June 22, 2012 at 11:23 AM

Terrific detail in the flowers particularly evident in the first version. Compositionally I prefer the vertical. Nice work.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 176 Posts, 2302 Comments

Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on June 22, 2012 at 11:24 AM

I REALLY like the vertical version of this the best! The lighting is lovely & I like the way the lower leaves draw your eyes up to the flowers.

Registered on December 13, 2011, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments

Comment posted by Daniel & Loana on June 22, 2012 at 12:23 PM

Both versions are fine, Wayne, but I prefer the vertical one.

Great colours and details

D&L

Registered on October 7, 2008, 166 Posts, 3044 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on June 22, 2012 at 1:20 PM

Just beautifully done, Wayne. Can't really separate the two versions - they are each lovely in their own way. Maybe the sharp detail in the first gives it a slight edge but I do love seeing the whole plant in the second. Splendid !

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Jacobson on June 22, 2012 at 5:54 PM

Great image capture Wayne. This happens to be the State Flower for my home state of Minnesota. They can be a bit tricky to photograph and selecting a composition can be difficult. Love the nice depth of field in these images and I would prefer a portrait orientation.

Registered on May 20, 2012, 17 Posts, 41 Comments

Comment posted by Ramamohan Pai on June 22, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Wayne - Beautiful again. No spritzing on this one I guess. Both versions look great to me but in the original one, I'd include the tip of the leaf also in the frame. Looks like there is enough allowance in the original to do so.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 550 Posts, 9037 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on June 23, 2012 at 3:02 PM

Wonderful orchid image with nice coloring and superb detail. The placement of the flowers at slightly different elevations is a nice touch and the background was well controlled

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on June 24, 2012 at 12:42 AM

Wayne: This is really rare in Texas, as in non-existent so I am insanely jealous. I do prefer the full vertical shot but would almost kill for the chance to shoot these. Wonderful subject, wonderful shot.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on June 24, 2012 at 1:04 AM

Both images are lovely, and I was perfectly happy with the first post until I saw the vertical. Definitely prefer more of the leaves in the composition.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Ellen deBoer on June 24, 2012 at 7:05 AM

Beautiful and excellent shots, Wayne! Especially the vertical one is spectacular.

Registered on March 16, 2006, 419 Posts, 2076 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on June 24, 2012 at 9:34 AM

Wayne:
Can't find a more beautiful pair than these; lighting is perfect and capture is flawless. Would have preferred the first if the leaf tip is included but seen the vertical, I too like the one with more leaves. Agree with Scott about a slight crop to the bottom of the vertical. Wonderful images.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments