It is said that some of the rarest flowers bloom in unexpected places. On Saturday, October 16, 2010, deep in the dense jungle of the Valley River Mall, I discovered one of the most colorful displays of exotic orchids that you can find anywhere. It was the Fall Orchid Show and Sale! It was a two day event and I tried to get there early to see the flowers before the crowds arrive and the best flower sold.
These are tough events to shoot as they are usually indoors so you are getting mostly a mix of indoor lights with a little sunlight filtering down from the skylights. As there are crowds of people and judges, all wanting to get as close as they can, the table shakes and the flowers are moving most of the time. My built-in flash is useless in this situation as it will easily over expose, or, if you are little far way, not really help at all.
Did you know the name orchid comes from the Greek “órkhis”, literally meaning “testicle”, because its root has a similar shape. The term was introduced in 1845 by John Lindley in “School Botany”?
As there are hundreds of different kinds of orchids so there are always some varieties in bloom at any time of the year. As there are so many new varieties it’s often hard for the un-trained eye to tell some of them apart or to correctly name them. Here is a web site of a local grower that has most of the names for the orchids in the photos below. http://www.briggshillorchids.com/
So here goes. You are at the orchid show and you’re the judge! Take a few minutes and enjoy the wonderful essence of the orchid show…
Well? How was that?
So you’re the judge. Which orchid won?
Isn’t that about enough to make you want to go out and buy an orchid? They do bloom for a long time and are not that difficult to care for. Check out the web site above for help with how to care for the variouse spieces before you buy.
I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Keep looking for the beauty all around you.
Dennis
Orchids! 