I used to think that not too many people takes pictures of flowers until I go to the annual HK Flower show. The scene shown here is repeated year on year with more and more photogs. This patch of tulips is surrounded by photographers lining up 3-4 deep throughout the day! So how many flora photographers are there in HK? My guess, probably tens of thousands and probably the most flora photographers per square kilometer anywhere in the world
Glad to report that the Ikebono Study Group booth was award Grand Prize for Unique Creative Design this year. I played a very small part with this arrangement which is one of 16 exhibits in the booth.
Posted by Lorna Taylor on March 24, 2012 at 11:07 AM
There are not many here where I live as the flower season is so very short. Our winters are long and harsh and our summers are short and very dry and hot. Spring usually lasts only a few weeks so I am surrounded by portrait photographers. Almost every photographer I happen to run into or meet raise their eyebrow at me when I say I am a flora photographer.
If you mean serious flora photographers, very few. If you mean people with cell phone or point and shoot cameras, lots and lots. I made it today to the local free public gardens for the first time this spring. I was there 3 hours. During that time, I saw lots of people taking photos, but only one other photographer with a DSLR. As usual, I was the only person carrying a tripod. Yesterday, I judged the annual Mill Creek MetroParks photography contest. Open to amatuer photogaphers only. There were about 400 total entries, but only about 30 in each of the two flora categories (cultivated plants and wild plants). There were maybe about 5-6 photographers in these categories whose work I would label serious or advanced amatuer. The MetroParks is located in a county with 250,000 people, so this reflects that serious flora photography is not a popular pastime. Currently, there are only two photographers in Youngstown who sell flora photographic artwork. In the photo you posted of the HK flower show, I see quite a few DSLRs.
In my area there probably aren't that many. They tend to come out during the wildflower season which is happening now and then they travel to Ennis or the Hill Country to capture the beauty (which I did this weekend and will be posting photos soon). But the wildflowers also tend to attract even nonphotographic people for picture-taking (think portraits taken among the flowers with the sun to the back of the subject at high noon - cringe ).
Discussion
4 repliesGlad to report that the Ikebono Study Group booth was award Grand Prize for Unique Creative Design this year. I played a very small part with this arrangement which is one of 16 exhibits in the booth.