# Orchids



## gnagel (Mar 18, 2018)

Yesterday, I visited the Chicago Botanic Garden and captured some photographs of the orchids with my Nikon D850 and 200 f4 Micro lens:

1






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11





Thanks for looking...
Glenn


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## smoke665 (Mar 18, 2018)

Beautiful. Orchids always fascinate me with their beauty. Last year had the opportunity to visit the LeGrippe Orchid Garden, in the Naples Botanical Gardens, Naples, FL. To see them growing outside in a natural habitat, is just unreal.


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## gnagel (Mar 18, 2018)

smoke665 said:


> Beautiful. Orchids always fascinate me with their beauty. Last year had the opportunity to visit the LeGrippe Orchid Garden, in the Naples Botanical Gardens, Naples, FL. To see them growing outside in a natural habitat, is just unreal.


Thank you...it was quite a treat seeing so many orchids at the exhibit.

Glenn


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## Cody'sCaptures (Mar 19, 2018)

I love that exhibit. They really pack those orchids in everywhere!


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## RowdyRay (Mar 19, 2018)

Very well done. Orchids are so unique. Need to add this to the list of places to visit. 

Handheld, or do they allow tripods or monopods? There's a reason I ask.


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## gnagel (Mar 19, 2018)

RowdyRay said:


> Very well done. Orchids are so unique. Need to add this to the list of places to visit.
> 
> Handheld, or do they allow tripods or monopods? There's a reason I ask.


Thank you...

Since I was visiting as part of a special photography event...about 3 hours before the show opened to the public...I was permitted to use a tripod. The tripod was an important tool for creating these images. Exposures are mostly long--some are 20 second or more! And, I blended exposures for several of these--one exposure at f/22 and the other with a wide open aperture. That way, I could keep the backgrounds soft and still brush in some f/22 sharpness just in the areas where some additional sharpness is desired.

Unless there are special arrangements (like the private access photography event that I was part of), the show does not allow tripods or monopods.

Glenn


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## Steven Dillon (Mar 21, 2018)

Nice.  #3, #8, and #11 are my favorites.


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## gnagel (Mar 21, 2018)

Steven Dillon said:


> Nice.  #3, #8, and #11 are my favorites.


Thanks Steven...I appreciate it (and those are all of the same orchid).

Glenn


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## Gary A. (Mar 21, 2018)

Beautiful. The black background of #5 gives it a ton of pop.


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## gnagel (Mar 21, 2018)

Gary A. said:


> Beautiful. The black background of #5 gives it a ton of pop.


Thanks Gary...I carried a small piece of black foam board with me during the session. It came in handy for that shot.

Glenn


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## RowdyRay (Mar 21, 2018)

gnagel said:


> RowdyRay said:
> 
> 
> > Very well done. Orchids are so unique. Need to add this to the list of places to visit.
> ...



Thank you for the info. Recently got the Tamron 90mm. Love the lens, but impossible to take shots like this without some sort of stabilization. Anything within driving distance doesn't allow tripods. One place has no rule on monopods. Making time to get there is another story. There are a couple of great outdoor public Arboretums. No rules. Been to one before this lens. Plan to go back this summer, but then there is wind to deal with.  

Never heard of any private access events. Definitely look into that. Just joined a local club. Maybe they have some clout.


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## gnagel (Mar 22, 2018)

RowdyRay said:


> Thank you for the info. Recently got the Tamron 90mm. Love the lens, but impossible to take shots like this without some sort of stabilization. Anything within driving distance doesn't allow tripods. One place has no rule on monopods. Making time to get there is another story. There are a couple of great outdoor public Arboretums. No rules. Been to one before this lens. Plan to go back this summer, but then there is wind to deal with.
> 
> Never heard of any private access events. Definitely look into that. Just joined a local club. Maybe they have some clout.


The Chicago Botanic Garden doesn't allow tripods inside the greenhouse area where these orchids were housed, but it does allow tripods on the rest of the grounds.

Glenn


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## Cody'sCaptures (Mar 23, 2018)

gnagel said:


> RowdyRay said:
> 
> 
> > Thank you for the info. Recently got the Tamron 90mm. Love the lens, but impossible to take shots like this without some sort of stabilization. Anything within driving distance doesn't allow tripods. One place has no rule on monopods. Making time to get there is another story. There are a couple of great outdoor public Arboretums. No rules. Been to one before this lens. Plan to go back this summer, but then there is wind to deal with.
> ...


They allow tripods on specific days before they open to public. I had a yearly membership last year, they have a bunch of member only events. Although if you ever plan on selling any photos from there they require a $150 permit! I think that mostly pertains to photo shoots though.


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## Fujidave (Mar 23, 2018)

One of my mums favourites, all great shots but the 1st is stunningly beautiful.


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## gnagel (Mar 24, 2018)

Fujidave said:


> One of my mums favourites, all great shots but the 1st is stunningly beautiful.


Thank you, Dave

Glenn


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## Donde (Mar 24, 2018)

Gorgeous images.


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## gnagel (Mar 24, 2018)

Donde said:


> Gorgeous images.


Thanks Donde

Glenn


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## Steven Dillon (Mar 28, 2018)

Cody'sCaptures said:


> gnagel said:
> 
> 
> > RowdyRay said:
> ...



I've wondered about that here at the Botanical Gardens in Columbia, SC.  I've never actually asked to see who that $150 fee applies to, but they make it sound like if you created anything that you were then going to try to sell, you'd owe them that money.  That caused me to take them off the list of possible locations I'd like to explore for subjects.  No way I'm doing that.  I don't sell enough to EVER justify something like that - and I'm not sure who could.  Beyond that, it's ridiculous.  Unless the subject was some gorgeous plant/flower that can only be found on their grounds (and no other place in the world), how could they possibly make that request?  IF it is for weddings or portfolio shoots where the process could be disruptive in some way, I get it, but suggesting that a photographer couldn't set up a tripod and create a couple of images without first paying that kind of money??


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## Jeff G (Apr 7, 2018)

Really nice images, really like 4 and 5 quite a lot.


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## ac12 (Apr 8, 2018)

A rope-pod might be an alternative to a monopod.


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## oldhippy (Apr 8, 2018)

Just increadable


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