good question. i wonder about seeing orchids in the sun in photos, as here in california they roast quickly. i just had to hang shadecloth already, as some were beginning to get sun, and loosing leaves, like encyclia alata. i have been trying to find more sun tolerant plants, and got a small shomb tibicinis, which had some trouble shipping and acclimating, but is sending up a new growth now. it does not get full sun, but dappled sun in winter. last winter i burned a ren tom thumb, so it got moved into the oncidium area. it likes it there. i replaced it with an oncidium cebolleta, and am seeking an ansellia. i did buy an eulophia petersii, which says to 'grow like an aloe' which for me means not much direct sun... i think these photos from the tropics must be from places with lots of cloud cover? it just doesn't work here. you can supposedly get away with some like the tibicinis, but i hear they tend to loose all their old leaves, like mine did, and only new growth has leaves.