The orchid show in Chicago was a great opportunity to see a wide variety of blooms showing off their shapes, sizes, colors, etc.  In an effort to exhibit as wide a range possible the plants were a little crowded for photography, and the lighting was more to accent the blooms than to illuminate them.  I like plant images that are more portrait-like, which means getting them isolated against a neutral background and using different lighting to highlight their features.  Below are three versions of the same plant with different "poses", backgrounds and lighting effects. There's nothing exotic here except the orchid.  The different backgrounds are the same blank wall; the colors vary depending on whether the overhead light is on or not, or whether the shades are open or not.  The light on the flowers is either one or two LED flashlights, handheld to put emphasis where I wanted it.  The bright spots in the background are there intentionally to spotlight the blooms, again letting the LED flashlight beam wash over the wall behind the plants.  These are good examples of how lighting influences the way we see subjects and how to direct the viewer's eye. 

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