four seas... sorry, THREE REASON photo, a photo from New York, Northeast

Photographer's Note

there are three reasons I decided to post the photo:

first reason: a while ago I promised Shelly that I'd post a "woman's photo" to show a solidarity with this post. Shelly, this one's for you. [p.s. I've decided to establish Pink Photo Theme /"pink" as in ultimate girl colour/. ladies, help me fill this theme :)]

second reason: exactly one year ago I felt my heart skip a beat when I read an automatically generated e-mail from B&H telling me that one order of brand new Nikon D200 body has been shipped from their warehouse.
that camera is an awesome beast, althought occasionally too heavy for me [like when I took this shot - I had borrowed a scary lens from Kristaps, and the combined weigt of the camera body and lens was staggering 2,405kg. needless to say, no tripods were allowed].
the flower I chose to mark this occasion is Phalaenopsis equestris, one of the many amazing plants at the "Orchid Garden" exibition earlier this year in the New York Botanical Garden.

third reason: the orchid itself.
orchid family is the largest family of the flowering plants, there are nearly 22,000 accepted species of orchids, which equals about four times the number of mammal species, or more than twice the number of bird species. new orchid species are still being discovered at a rate of between 200 to 300 per year, mainly from tropical regions, as new areas of forest are opened up by road building and development schemes. new species such as the bright purple Phragmipedium kovachii, discovered in 2002, caused a huge stir in the orchid world and even made headlines in the New York Times; specimens smuggled out of their native Peru were selling for almost $20,000 each.
the mysterious plant was the 'must have' accessory of the 1800s. to supply the ever increasing desire for more novel and beautiful orchids, many nurseries in the 1800s sent out orchid hunters to collect vast numbers of plants from the wild and ship them back to Europe. the first plants of each new species brought back to England fetched high prices, the largest amount ever recorded was in 1890 when £1,500 was paid for one orchid, that is equivalent to around £96,500 today.
the orchid first is mentioned in Chinese literature, while in the first mention in Japan is the ancient tale of the emperor's wife, who was sterile but managed to give birth to 13 children in succession after inhaling the fragrance of C. ensifolium.
in Greek mythology, Orchis was the son of a nymph and a satyr. during a celebratory feast for Bacchus, Orchis committed the sacrilege of attempting to rape a priestess, resulting in his being torn apart by wild beasts, then metamorphosing into a slender and modest plant. Greek women also thought they could control the sex of their unborn children with orchid roots. if the father ate large, new tubers, the child would be male; if the mother ate small tubers, the child would be female.
Theophrastus was the first of the Western authors to mention orchids. it was he who first applied the name Orchis scientifically, echoing the myth of Orchis and reflecting the resemblance of the double root tubers to the male genitalia that got old Orchis in trouble in the first place.

/most of information from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, web-page/

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ISO 200, 200mm focal length, pattern metering and auto white balance.

japiey, fulvio52, Photo65Net, COSTANTINO, Wandering_Dan, Waylim, pboehringer, belido, plimrn, cfreire, mphotographies, steliosk, bakes888 trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

japiey (10163) 2008-06-27 3:59

Hello Kristine,

I am in thoughts, about what should I write here...
Reading the words from you makes a more insight...
Am sure, SHELLY will smile at this beauty, and appreciate this.
It's a lovely touch to know, more about you and Kristaps, and the feel gives another dimension to this shot... a touch of heart..and a smile of colours..
Phalaenopsis equestris, is an amazing subject, and here, this close contact has given a special mood... that will stay for long.
What I really admire is the composition, which has many reflections of my beliefs and strong thoughts...
Photography is not just a simple vision, it's a look at the world with a definite energy.. and you have done it fine..
I appreciate this sensible approach, that i miss here ,in the many TE shots, and which I adore in you, that gives me the smile of soul to shoot and shoot..
Thank you, dear friend.
Wishes to you and Kristaps :)
Always the best.

jp

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-06-27 5:47

Hi Kristine,
I can tell you straight away this looks to me like technically impeccable, featuring wonderful light and definition.
But a good picture without a soul is nothing but a good picture...
This shot... well, this shot reaches way further than its technical qualities, and that's what makes it very special.
A tip of the hat to you!
Have a great day, I'll see you soon.
Fulvio.

molla (7129) 2008-06-27 7:30

Dear Kristine,
I have a certain interest in Pink Orchids,
My daughter, is named after one. Calypso Bulbosa in swedish NORNA
it's not as bright and tropic as this one but in the dark wet spruce tree forest in northern Scandinavia it glows of the most girlish pink that you can imagine. Unfortunate It's very rare and when i finally found one location the blooming was over.
back to your image and as I understand the beginning of a new era.
they look like they whisper something to each other.
- Smile! there's a pretty girl with brad new D200
- She looks like she's gonna make us famous, maybe take us to TE
It's not wonder Linneus got such obsession for those living gems.
//Anders

crckt (7222) 2008-06-27 7:40

Hi Kristine,
I am glad that this photo is still here and has not been deleted for being a "common object"!! I think this is indeed a wonderful close-up, I like the shallow DOF here. Congratulations for spending a year with the D200. Must have been a great experience, as we have seen from your shots. How about going for the D300 now? ;)
Thanks for the pink ladies theme!
I will see if I can add some.
Regards,
Shaeri

Greg1949 (9011) 2008-06-27 16:01

Kristine, I consider myself taught by your note, who, who would have thought...

Your shot is awesome, the color much richer that is usually seen on the web and the shadow just touching the front bloom is brilliant. DOF works well with the bg way out and dark, great capture.

Greg

trekks (14348) 2008-06-27 21:11

hello Kristine

Very good macro shot and nicely captured pov with sharpness and contrast. I like the double flower in bright light at the front and blur BG. Nicely composed.

tfs, bill

Photo65Net (43144) 2008-06-28 1:46

Kristine,
I like the soft contrasts you caught on the flowers.
Your compo is very good, and your note very informative.
Regards,
JB.

COSTANTINO (116349) 2008-06-28 7:33

Hello Kristine,
Marvellous photo with fantastic colours
impressive and dynamic...
Good shot with great imagination
Thanks for sharing sucha photo
Costantino
see tom= 2

marietom (34611) 2008-06-28 9:40

hello Kristien,

Magnifiques couleurs pour cette composition fleurie.
Bonne soirée
Marie

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-06-28 10:11

Hi, Kristine -

Like Shelly, I'm glad I spotted this before the TE police deleted it as a "common object." It is a most UNcommon photograph. Great details and light management, and really neat positioning to come from the upper right like that. I'm not so sure about the amount of negative space on the left, is all.

Best,
Dan

fabio_ts (13696) 2008-06-30 4:58

Ciao Kristine,
tree good reasons for a really good photo, well done, BRAVA!!!

have a nice week,
Fabio.

Waylim (25436) 2008-06-30 13:36

Kristine,
Lovely capture of the the orchid and ablsolutely great note, very informative and interesting. As for the photo, love it. great composition, I like how it got a bit darker gratually toward the left. Give it a real great sense depth. It feel amost 3D. Great sharpness, color and light perfectly balanced. Simply lovely. Even guys can enjoy this elegants.
Way

pboehringer (770) 2008-06-30 18:42

Kristine,
that image is probably something more adquate for TL or TN, but it is nice to see something like this here to from time to time. Beside, your note is quite entertaining in all aspects. Particularly your first and second reason made me giggle several times. Isn't giggling more feminine? Here is my personal contribution to your pink theme.
Now, where is the difficulty in holding 2.405 (let's be precise) kg at a shutter speed of 1/1000s? I'm pretty astonished with the perfect light balance that you got. The almost black background makes the delicate petals look even more fragile.
Great shot!
Peter

gunbud (34066) 2008-06-30 20:35

Hi Kristine,
Wonderfully clear capture of this lovely flower is seen in subperb light which renders excellent sharp details and brilliant pink colors.
I'm sure Ms. O'Brien will be thrilled with this striking image in her honor.
Regards, Tom

batalay (41261) 2008-06-30 21:16

Sveika Kristine,

Exquisite macro shot of the orchid, I believe, with the background dark and out blurred. This speaks well of your lens, your camera and your photographic skills. Finally, the note, as long as it was, I read it twice. It's that good.

Warm regards,

Bulent

belido (19934) 2008-07-01 4:55

Hi Kristine,

it's is a lovely post, not only for the great macro you present to us but the interesting note which is a perfect explanation for the moderators to consider :) I hope they don't delete this beauty from your gallery...They won't! The details are superb and the light you caught on the subject is something really pleasant. Very well done!
Regards,
Carlos

plimrn (21344) 2008-07-01 6:15

Dear Kristine,
Phalaenopsis is my favorite orchid; I usually have at least one around the house (thanks to Trader Joe's) although the cymbidium grows outdoors here. I got hooked when I lived in Maui and dendrobium insistyed on living for repeated blooms. Here the temp swings are too wide and they drop their buds. ...but enough rambling, I've taken a LOT of orchid pictures and none equal your fine composition.

The way you angle the spike into the frame really featuring only one, seemingly delicate, bloom, the perfect DOF that captures the velvety texture and blurs the BG into a jungle. I say seemingly delicate because a Phalaenopsis spike will often last for 2+ months, making a Phalaenopsis a real bargin in adding flowers to your home.
HLJ, Pat

cfreire (11741) 2008-07-01 6:41

Hi Kristine,
It's a wonderful portrait spotless well captured with excellent technical adjusments. The colors, lights and contrast are perfect with high definition. In my opinio, this work is marvelous. Well done. Best regards, Consuelo

mphotographies (1976) 2008-07-02 2:59

Hey Kristine,

The power of pink...you had three good reasons in posting this image girl! You had covered a very good visual range into this amazing close-up without having to change the lens despite struggling with the weight and I think you handled it very well (even w/o tripod). Like the beautiful blur effect of the clear subject, not much to say really I'm really stunned! The result has proven your dedication, you dare yourself into expressing beyond those images and viewers are drawn into your galleries.

Best Regards,

Jom

mikeo (12129) 2008-07-03 10:57

Hello Kristine,

That's lovely! Great pink, womenish colour, yeah:)?
The flower is absolutely lovely, so delicate, but the colour give the strength. And photo...amazing sharpness, great blurred background, very good composition. Just superb!

As for now no pink photo in the gallery but I will try to take any if only possible;)

Best greetings,
Mikeo

steliosk (4802) 2008-07-05 4:01

Hi There Kristine,
Allright lets say this shot is doable to catch, however I like the way you handled the light here. I suppose is from the original shot and not dodge burn stuff in PS.
Btw yes your Nikon with that monster lens, is quite heavy, making your shot a very difficult to capture but not impossible.
The f/4 and 1/1000 are not the best combination for sharpness at the 100% zoom level of your picture, but if there were strong wind, the 1/1000 comes handy.
Did you afraid of stability? if so, let me tell you this.

Viewing the focal length, I'd say its around 200mm, so it would be ok to go below 1/1000
1/320 or 1/400 should do the same, where you could increase your aperture for better details.
Another tool is the stabilization unit in your lens which makes captures possible even at 1/100 at your tele end 200mm!! but if your subject isn't still I don't recommend to use such speeds.

Same goes for macro photography, however the usage of flash and a tripod/monopod are required for such cases.

Well done my friend
Many Regards
Stelios

ElAprendiz (30) 2008-07-07 18:49

Hello Kristine:

One approach is simply beautiful. I love so intense hue of the flower, its definition and sharpness in front of the light, in a perfect frame.

Congratulations

John

bakes888 (18499) 2009-01-10 2:01

Hi Kristine. At least the heavy combo has a tendency to dampen camera shake, but personally I like built in VR and a light combo ;-). With all the different species of flowers throughout the world it’s amazing how few, if any, ugly ones there are. Nice capture and thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.