There
are over 25,000 wild species of orchids on six continents around the globe, not
counting thousands more hybrids cultivated by horticulturalists. Orchids come
in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, and in almost every color except true
black. They live in soil, atop rocks, or on trees, gleaning nutrients from the
moist air.
Orchids
are also masters of manipulation, using the full arsenal of their
anatomy—color, textures, and smells—to trick insects into spreading their
pollen. Their diversity—and adaptability—are what enthrall photographer
Christian Ziegler. "Every place I have been, there have been
orchids," he says, from the woods of southern Germany where he first
discovered them on nature hikes as a boy, to the rainforests of Panama where he
now lives.
Ziegler
spent two years traveling the globe on assignment for National Geographic and for his
book, Deceptive Beauties. He finds that the plants make fascinating
subjects, and he has tips for anyone who wants to photograph their seductive
flowers.
Do
your research.
More
than 90 percent of orchid species grow in the tropics, but that doesn’t mean
there aren't some near you. North America alone is home to more than 200
species. (One resource for finding orchids near you: Go
Orchids, a geographic database run by the North American Orchid Conservation
Center.)
If
a greenhouse or botanical garden is your best option, find out when the next
orchid show will be and whether there are rules about photography.
Pack
light but bring the essentials.
When
Ziegler goes into the field, he typically takes his digital SLR camera with a
macro lens (2.8/100mm), a wide-angle zoom lens (2.8/16-40mm), three off-camera
flashes, and a small tripod. "With the macro you can focus in on a small
flower and easily isolate the flower from the background," he says. The
shallow depth of field also blurs the background, so you get the colors of the
surrounding environment without distracting from the star of the show.
Show
them in their natural element.
The
landscape can be as much a part of the story as the orchid, Ziegler says. When
he wants to incorporate the setting, Ziegler uses a wider lens. "The image
turns into a landscape with the orchid as the focus, which works especially
well when the flower has a strong color to help it stand out from the forest
backdrop."
Play
to their strengths.
"Both
the shape and color of orchids are crucial. Everything depends on them,"
Ziegler says. "Sometimes I like the straightforward look of a simple
portrait—just the flower—especially when it is small and you need to drive
attention to it."
"I
always use flash to highlight the orchid flower. I keep the flash low so it's
hardly noticeable, but it helps to highlight the colors." He also uses a
soft box to diffuse the light source.
If
he is going for more of a portrait, he might photograph the plants against a
black background in a makeshift field studio. "I use a large piece of
black velvet and it's important to arrange it evenly. Then I set up three or
four flashes on brackets and put my camera on a tripod. All without disturbing
the plant." This enables us to focus on the beauty of the flower without
distraction.
Spend
time to see what other creatures might show up.
Orchids
are masters when it comes to attracting pollinators, even mimicking scents,
colors, and textures of female insects in hopes of attracting males—who will
unwittingly picking up tiny pollen packets in the process. Bees, butterflies,
wasps, and hummingbirds are all lured by the orchid and can help tell a more
complete story.
Get
creative with your camera to add something extra.
To
photograph this lilliputian orchid, Ziegler tried a different approach. "I
used three off-camera flashes combined with available light. Then I took a
longer exposure for the picture, around one-tenth of a second, and moved the
camera a little to create the washed-out effect around the edge of the
flower." The macro lens creates a blurry background, which focuses all the
attention on the flower.
Leave
them as you found them.
Like
any wildlife, wild orchids are part of a larger ecosystem and disrupting them
affects not only the plant, but also insects and creatures that rely on it. In
some cases, orchids are also protected by law. And, chances are if you are
enjoying the experience of finding and photographing an orchid, others will
too.