it's just getting going it will be 2 weeks before all the flowers are open. The growths are pendulous and heavy. Make me nervous as the stalk is rather thin but seems to be tough enough to sustain the weight.

Nick

I would estimate that the flowers have multiple the mass of the emerging leaves.

Nick

great growing...

Striking!

Jane

Lovely. Unusual looking leaves.
Like the clear photos too.

Noticed that ? My kids finally taught me how to use a digital camera. It wasn't the taking of picture but the transfer to the computer and setting up files etc that always stumped me. I'll retire the cell phone camera now.

Nick

Wish I had room for one of these babies!
Tucker

Nick, your orchids looked so good from just a phone camera. Now watch out. Good luck with your new camera. What kind did you get?

I got a Nikon Coolpix 1.22. Actually had it for 2 years, just was resistant to learning the computer part of the program, I'm a computer dinosaur. It's got a macro-lens but it's fully automatic so I can't manually focus it. Just have to learn to trick it into focusing on what I want it to focus on.

Next I need to build a black background and get a tripod. What's neat about these digital things is that you can take 20 photos of one item and then select the best. I have an elaborate regular camera and that was one of the drawbacks, you never knew what you shot until the film was developed. I had elaborate photo albums but one does not do that anymore. Went the way of the dial phone and the typewriter.

I'm vain enough to consider myself an intelligent person but have such a blind eye towards computer issues that it is embarrassing. For the last 3 weeks my computer had no sound. New computer? New speakers? When my son came over to teach me the camera download etc he casually hit the 'mute' button of the sound control on the front page and presto, sound was restored. I don't know how I managed to mute it, did not even know these controls were there.

Once my x-wife and I were driving along with the same son and a daughter in the back seat when the radio started acting up. Could not keep it on the station we wanted. Finally my son interjected and said it is voice controlled and told me to just give it a verbal command. At first both of us thought that was ridiculous but then asked the radio to go to FM 101 and it promptly did. It miraculously obeyed all our voice commands. My X-wife could not believe this and she got out the manual to try to research this when I noticed the teenagers bent over laughing in the back seat.

That car had a second set of controls for the radio back there which explained the mystery. This is the kind of mentality I have to content with, taking pictures, downloading them etc is a big achievement for me. Luckily enough, I can laugh at myself.

Nick

Sooo funny, but sooo true! Same thing here but I don't have kids around to teach me. They don't live nearby and when they come to visit, I can't bother them with this nonsense so I have to either figure it out or give up on it.

I love your photos. Beautiful, clear and professional looking. I used a digital camera for years, but have gotten so lazy using the phone. Its so much quicker and always in my pocket. But, there is no comparison.

My husband is a retired photographer. Has gotten tired of photographing my orchids and has move on to shooting water birds!

This is what we use for the black background. Buy one of those cheap garment racks. They sell them in Bed,Bath&Beyond. They are on wheels and have a single pole along the top. You can adjust it up and down. Buy a cheap piece of black flannel or velvet (if you want to go for big bucks). Hang it over the garment rack and roll it over to the plant or stick the plant on a table with the garment rack behind it.

Very simple and works like a dream.

If you look at the bottom left of the photo, you can see where the cloth was not pulled over enough. This photo is taken in front of the garment rack with black flannel.

Black flannel again

Here you can see the top pole of the garment rack.

You can use any color flannel or velvet. Some flowers look nice with a grey background or even white.

Easy!

Jane

As they say," you live and learn"
Love your comments Nick, and your photo taking advice and photos, Jane.
I'm looking forward to all these lovely photos from everyone. Thank you for posting.

Most of the flowers are open now.

Nick

Another view.

Nick

A view of the massive pbulb that goes with the flowers.

Nick

Here is how it hangs in the GH. Definitely pendulous.

Nick