This past week I took a trip out to Fakahatchee Strand to see if the elusive Ghost Orchids had started to bloom this year. To my suprise one of the Ghost Orchids that I know about was already in full bloom and another one had put out a bud. The rest of the Ghost Orchids had not yet started to bloom or will not bloom this year.
For those not familar with the Ghost Orchid, they are a rare species of orchid that only grow in a few very limited areas. Fakahatchee Strand is one of these areas. The orchids grow on trees surrounded by swamp water under a canopy of densely growing trees. To get to the Ghost Orchids requires walking through sometimes chest deep water full of alligators and snakes and surrounded by a swarm of mosquitoes for the off chance that when you get there the orchid is in bloom.
The Ghost Orchid that I found that was in bloom was about 7 feet off the ground making shooting it a little difficult. It also was in tricky light and the wind was blowing just enough to make it hard to capture a sharp shot. The lighting was difficult because the canopy of trees block most of the light requiring longer shutter speeds. However, there are bright spots that result from small holes in the canopy, causing a spotlight effect and making it difficult to properly expose the photo. The light wind compounds the longer shutter speeds, sometimes resulting in motion blur of the orchid.
After getting home and processing my shots from the day I was not thrilled with the results. I would have preferred to get closer to the flower so that the orchid seemed bigger in the scene. Being that the orchid was higher off the ground made it difficult to achieve the shot I wanted.
I will plan to go back and try again with the other orchid that is getting ready to bloom in a few weeks.
