Pink Paphiopedilum on Velvet
After shooting this hot pink Paphiopedilum (Lady's Slipper Orchid) against a black background at the 2016 Pacific Orchid Expo in San Francisco, I further s...
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After shooting this hot pink Paphiopedilum (Lady's Slipper Orchid) against a black background at the 2016 Pacific Orchid Expo in San Francisco, I further simplified the image in Photoshop by creating a solid black background layer and erasing everything but the flower.
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Feb, 2016Views
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Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this shot of a pink paphiopedilum (lady's slipper orchid) at the 2016 Pacific Orchid Exposition, in a large exhibition hall at Ft. Mason Center, San Francisco.Time
I took it at 4 PM on February 28.Lighting
I used available lighting, a combination of fluorescent lights and indirect sunlight coming through floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors, at ISO 1600. The light strikes the flower slightly to the left-hand side, creating more depth than if the lighting had been completely uniform.Equipment
This was shot with a tripod, on a Sony SLT-a77 with a Sony 50mm f/2.8 macro lens, 1/100 sec at f/4.5.Inspiration
I love shooting close-ups of orchids and this particular flower already had a nearly black background. Although the original shot included some leaves and the flower's stem, it was easy to visualize isolating the flower against a black background.Editing
Consistent with my usual practice, I imported the RAW photo into Lightroom for cataloging purposes and then transferred the RAW file to DxO Optics Pro, where I applied noise reduction and slightly lightened the black background, to make it easier to select the flower in Photoshop. I then exported this image in TIFF format to Photoshop, where I created an inverse mask around the flower using the magic wand tool and erased the leaves and stem using the eraser tool. Finally, I created a pure-black background layer, on top of which I placed the layer containing only the flower. Finally, I merged the two layers and exported them in JPEG format.In my camera bag
I use the waist pack compartment (alone) of the MindShift Gear Rotation180 Pro backpack, which I bought for a trip to Borneo in June of last year, to carry my equipment. It includes a Sony SLT-a77, Sony 16-50mm f/2.8 SSM, Sony 50mm f/2.8 macro, and either Sony 70-300mm f/3.5-4.6 G SSM or Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 Pro DX II. I also carry 77mm B+W XS-Pro circular polarizing and 77mm Breakthrough Photography X4 6-stop neutral density filters, as well as a Vello FreeWave electronic shutter release. My tripod is a Slik Sprint Pro II with Oben BE-117T ball head.Feedback
The key to this image is its simplicity and its not-quite-perfect (due to slight side lighting) symmetry. To obtain a similar effect, I would recommend using a macro lens with a black piece of construction paper (or something similar) behind the flower, while adjusting the lighting so that it provides a sense of depth. I always recommend using a tripod; if it's not possible to get the entire flower in focus with a single exposure, consider focus-stacking a series of images and merging them using software such as HeliconFocus.
