A late winter delight in this town is the orchid show at the sumptuous Missouri Botanical Garden. I managed to make it there on Sunday, closing day.
Flowers are hardly everyday subject matter for me but, hey, the show is a good opportunity for blog material. The challenge is how to avoid the banal. The example of Robert Mapplethorpe comes to mind (hmmm - I don't remember seeing Number 4 before now). It was way too crowded to use a tripod. These pictures were taken with an 85 mm prime lens and varying lengths of extension tubes. Apertures ranged from f 2.8 to f 11. Keeping the center sharp was often a matter of holding the camera within a range of a few millimeters.
The orchids ranged from subdued to sensual. Some were unabashedly erotic. We'll see a few more in days to come.
Flowers are hardly everyday subject matter for me but, hey, the show is a good opportunity for blog material. The challenge is how to avoid the banal. The example of Robert Mapplethorpe comes to mind (hmmm - I don't remember seeing Number 4 before now). It was way too crowded to use a tripod. These pictures were taken with an 85 mm prime lens and varying lengths of extension tubes. Apertures ranged from f 2.8 to f 11. Keeping the center sharp was often a matter of holding the camera within a range of a few millimeters.
The orchids ranged from subdued to sensual. Some were unabashedly erotic. We'll see a few more in days to come.
deux belles macros, surtout la premiere. c'est le printemps, les photographes sortent leurs objectifs macros ;))
ReplyDeleteI like orchids very much. What wonderful and gentle flowers! But I haven't the notorious "green thumb" related to orchids. Therefore I only enjoy photos of them. Well done, Bob!
ReplyDeleteTwo nice flower macro photos here.
ReplyDeletethese are superb.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous Bob, I actually think the first one IS a bit sensual and the second one a tad erotic, so heaven knows what's coming next!!
ReplyDeleteI think the second one is erotic...and so beautiful. I cannot grow any plants well, but my friend is a champ at orchids.
ReplyDeleteThe French word envoûtant comes to mind. Can't find a suitable translation for it...
ReplyDeleteWOW! Stunning shots, Bob.
ReplyDeleteLovely shots of lovely plants! I liked very much the Mapplethorpe photos of flowers, too. Somewhere, I have pictures of tulips, taken by Richard Avedon, I think, that show that flower at its most frilly and exotic. But there are none on his website, so maybe I was wrong.
ReplyDeleteBut looking forward to more of your orchids, sir.