Dark Red HelleborineEpipactis atrorubens
1DII, 180L/3.5 Macro, 1/320s @ f/11, 1548 & Sidekick.
I'd found a load of these just coming up a few days before I went to Scotland and was hoping like mad that they wouldn't have died in the intervening week - so first chance I had yesterday, I braved the afternoon sun to go and find them again. Fortunately there were still a few specimens around, but the accompanying Pyramidals and Common Spots had all succumbed to the sun & heat. I don't know about other areas, but up here the orchids have had a poor year for growth and size of flowers. The Bee Orch's have been tiny, and even the Common spots have, in the main, been rather weedy .
I find the Dark-Red's a bit of a challenge to photograph as they're a far from compact orchid, and most of the flowers hang down rather than sideways - still, this was one of my better attempts
Posted by David Kjaer on July 18, 2006 at 12:31 PM
Hi Nick
Not too hot on flower photography but it looks good to me - perhaps a little rotation in PS so the stem appeared verticle and a larger f stop might have helped!
As Tim said.a great almost 3D effect. I'd be tempted to have it vertical too, purely on aesthetics.
Been a poor year for most plants this year Nick. Our fields have produced the least grass in over 20 years. The agricultural college here have put it down to the lack of any real spring....it was certainly the coldest wettest spring we;'ve had in years up here, with no real heat until well into June.
Now it's too bl....dy hot
Roll on the frosty autumn days we used to get when I were a lad. And roll on the flamin' postman with me new puter
Nicely done, good colours, and sharpness, and I agree the detail gives the image a 3D quality. I'd be tempted to straighten the flower stem for aesthetic purposes, although I don't mind it as it is now, looks quite natural to me.
Tall straight flowers are awkward to photograph well but this works a treat.
Hi Nick
Bee & Common Spotted have both been good on dry grassland in my corner of Suffolk, but in contrast Pyramidal have been disappointingly small.
My own attempts at making Marsh Helleborine look attractive have failed dismally, so I think you have done pretty well with this.
Discussion
7 replies1DII, 180L/3.5 Macro, 1/320s @ f/11, 1548 & Sidekick.
I'd found a load of these just coming up a few days before I went to Scotland and was hoping like mad that they wouldn't have died in the intervening week - so first chance I had yesterday, I braved the afternoon sun to go and find them again. Fortunately there were still a few specimens around, but the accompanying Pyramidals and Common Spots had all succumbed to the sun & heat. I don't know about other areas, but up here the orchids have had a poor year for growth and size of flowers. The Bee Orch's have been tiny, and even the Common spots have, in the main, been rather weedy
I find the Dark-Red's a bit of a challenge to photograph as they're a far from compact orchid, and most of the flowers hang down rather than sideways - still, this was one of my better attempts
Not too hot on flower photography but it looks good to me - perhaps a little rotation in PS so the stem appeared verticle and a larger f stop might have helped!
David
Tim
Been a poor year for most plants this year Nick. Our fields have produced the least grass in over 20 years. The agricultural college here have put it down to the lack of any real spring....it was certainly the coldest wettest spring we;'ve had in years up here, with no real heat until well into June.
Now it's too bl....dy hot
Roll on the frosty autumn days we used to get when I were a lad. And roll on the flamin' postman with me new puter
John
Nicely done, good colours, and sharpness, and I agree the detail gives the image a 3D quality. I'd be tempted to straighten the flower stem for aesthetic purposes, although I don't mind it as it is now, looks quite natural to me.
Tall straight flowers are awkward to photograph well but this works a treat.
cheers
Sean
Nice image of a difficult subject to photograph.
Danny
Bee & Common Spotted have both been good on dry grassland in my corner of Suffolk, but in contrast Pyramidal have been disappointingly small.
My own attempts at making Marsh Helleborine look attractive have failed dismally, so I think you have done pretty well with this.
Colin
Excellent image expertly taken, I like it.
Best wishes
Phil