I think this is great if this is the first blooming. I do agree with you, a bit more sun/water/blooming fertilizer may help to get more and bigger flowers.

I had it growing a little to shaded to keep it cool but I will hold onto this one to see how it goes in more light.

It is also blooming very late in the year which probably means I didn't give it enough sun early enough in the year.

Thanks

Those colors are really nice.

You're going to love the tripod. Instead of concentrating on holding the camera, you can play around with all the other options and change settings white taking the same pic over and over since the camera isn't moving.

Kevin

Other settings? You mean there are other settings besides Auto????

lol

Such nice delicate coloration, Darren. I wouldn't expect you to have this one (with all the paphs and all)...

Clint

It's the only one I have and truth be told I have the right climate for them........I probably should grow more of these and less paphs and catts......;-)

Really terrific... Extreme close-ups are not that easy. I feel on a flower this size it wasn't necessary. As soon as you get real close in, you start getting depth-of-field problems (as in the first pic). Try staying a bit further back, use a longer focal length if you have a zoom or use a macro and just crop the image to remove any wasted border. If you have a good camera - obviously you do - it will stand the enlargement. If you have to get really close up - because the flower is very small - make sure you use f22 or above. Use manual focus. If it's a slow shutter speed watch out for wind movement. Using the delayed action may also help if there is any danger of camera shake from pressing the shutter. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips there......I must admit I've always had trouble understanding F stops, depth of field, aperture and white balance and I'm not very artistic usually. I will use your tips for the next flower to come (hopefully my Paph Magic Lantern isn't far away).

My camera is ok, it's a Fuji S9500 9MP with 11x zoom and a super macro which I used in the pictures above. I think you're right that it will stand the enlargement and I have photoshop to play with as well once I actually learn how to use the program properly.

Anyway thanks again for the info and hopefully I can improve with practice.

Darren

Perhaps a felt backdrop might reflect back less light giving you a darker background for contrast.

Darren, what I found to be rather helpful for getting a better handle on F-stops, etc is to take multiple pictures of the exact same subject changing only one of the settings at a time. [With a tripod, this would be quite easy.]

For instance, take 3-5 shots in which all you change is the F-stop. Then leaving your F-stop on a "middle setting" [like 5.6], take several shots of the same subject changing only the shutter speed,and so forth. you can then either print out the pics or leave them on your PC. Personally, I like to print them out so I can make quick side by side comparisons. Even the "bad shots" can be highly instructive. ***Make sure if you print them out that you right down what settings each pic used.***

Ditto on what everyone has said.Even using a tripod your hand or fingers are stll on the camera where shakeinesscan happen.See if your camera can add a remote,then you dont need to worry about blured photos unless you trip on the tripod.(I have).I usually stand about 2-3 feet away from the plant,and I dont use flash.
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Charles B.