-- Lawrence Hoang (LawrenceH@att.net), June 29, 1999

Answers

Also, would someone please tell me the name of this flower? Thank you.

-- Lawrence Hoang (LawrenceH@att.net), June 29, 1999.

This picture was taken with an N70, 105mm f/2.8 D Macro Nikkor, hot light, tripod, cable release, and maybe a silver reflector. I don't quite remember the shutter speed, but the f-stop was at f/11.

-- Lawrence Hoang (LawrenceH@att.net), June 29, 1999.

Lawrence, if the photo was taken at night (a night blooming flower) and the flower grows on a Cactus vine, then it is or related to the Night-blooming Cereus, Selenicereus grandiflorus. Other similiar cacti blossums are Trichocereus spachianus which grows on a club like cctus, Harrisia jusbertii, a snake like cactusEchinopsis, a round based cactus. Anyway, I think it is my first suggestion, though a little different than the ones I photographed last year. By the way, very good use of flash. I love how you captured the pure white. The only improvement I suggest is either filling the frame with the blossum or showing a group of flowers. If there is any way (by changing your angle) that you could retain the depth of field while simplifying the background that would wotk too. I find it very interesting when doing single blossum shots of this flower to have the camera looking right into the center of the flower (from above or below depending on how the flower sits. They are beautiful flowers no matter how you look at them, aren't they? Donna

-- Donna P. Bollenbach (cassidy@icubed.net), June 29, 1999.

Yes, they are beautiful. This photograph was taken last year when we had an unusual number of flowers blooming at the same time. If I remember correctly, there were about thirty of them total. They lasted for a couple hours and usually withered away an hour after midnight.

I've thought about the clutered background, but it was very difficult to get just one flower with the lens looking right into the center of the blossom. I have a few shots of a cluster of flowers, but I am not quite satisfied with the composition and have yet to scan them to digital files.

I forgot to mention, the film was Velvia.

Donna, thank you for the information you have given me. :-)

-- Lawrence Hoang (LawrenceH@att.net), June 29, 1999.

Lawrence, I think this is a beautiful picture. You captured it very well...I especially like the brilliance in color..like Donna. I look forward to seeing more of your pictures soon!

-- Amy Wolfgram (amyrachelle@hotmail.com), June 30, 1999.