Lja,
Congratulations on your award! I love the pictures of the paph and your greenhouse on the home page!
For buying purposes....I like just seeing the orchid bloom and whole plant picture...not all the froo-froo in the background.
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I think we should try for the best of both worlds: environmental shots that highlight the plant without distracting from it.
Of course, that's going to be a lot easier said than done.....
Lja,
Congratulations on your award! I love the pictures of the paph and your greenhouse on the home page!
For buying purposes....I like just seeing the orchid bloom and whole plant picture...not all the froo-froo in the background.
That would actually be a great title for a book.the froo-froo in the background.
I think that PAGrower makes a good point though about the importance of ambience and atmosphere, especially in terms of sales. If you think about, say, car commercials, the target market is very much defined by the surroundings the car is placed in--whether it's a Jeep on a rocky pinnacle, or a Porsche on a winding European backroad with a castle and vineyards in the distance. The car, shiny, spotlit, and new against a black background is certainly legitimate and effective, but it doesn't necessarily convey the feeling the manufacturers want to say the car will give you when you drive it.
I think it might be the same with orchids. We were trying to put the plants in a "situation" that was different than what's typically seen. But, because I'm a cruddy photographer, the situation became "froo-froo in the background:" noticeable to the point of distraction.
I really believe there's a way to combine the simple elegance of a dark backdrop against which the plant and flower stand out, with a sense of place that might stir the imaginations of potential customers. But again, accomplishing that with my limited photography skills is going to be one tall hurdle.
Thanks for the kudos about the homepage! Doing that was Peter's and PAGrower's suggestions... (See what I mean? If I could only combine the elements of both those guys' work and ideas!!!)
I don't think that's it. My guess is that Gilda and Máire don't like those photos because they aren't part of the target audience for that kind of advertising. The straightforward, close up shots are for serious hobbyists like them because all they do is show off the plant and nothing more. The foofy shots are sending the subtle message that orchids are the bomb, and those ladies already know that; they don't need to be persuaded. I think the foofy stuff would be more effective on neophyte growers and gift market customers for that reason.But, because I'm a cruddy photographer, the situation became "froo-froo in the background:" noticeable to the point of distraction.
I have no idea what you all had in my mind with those pictures, but let me tell you how they came across to me. In the first shot, a rock is used as a natural pedestal for a yellow oncidium, which is set against a background of brushwood. The message = orchids are the pinnacle of natural beauty. The second shot is a study in subtle neutral colors. The linen wallpaper, walnut trim, roccoco frame and even the orchid and pot are understated and everything is in harmony. The message = orchids are elegant. At least, that's what I got out of them, and the fact that they "spoke" to me at all indicates that the person who took them has a certain eye for such things. I imagine that photographic technique can be picked up with practice; artistic sensibility, on the other hand, is either there or it's not.
That's exactly what I meant ,PA grower. Orchids are the bomb!
You are right ,for gift purposes,etc., beautiful photos would be a great lure! Photos such as paphphraguy does....so elegant!
PAGrower, yes, we were tryiing for the elegance in the indoor shot, and a stark contrast between cut rock and the orchid's softness and civility in the outdoor one. I think they would have worked too, had our technique been better.
So we're practicing. But just the fact that they said *anything* to you besides "here is the orchid we are talking about" means, 1, that you're sensitive enough to pick up on such things, 2, we actually communicated on a level that usually goes unnoticed, and 3, that our effort wasn't in vain.
Thanks for that. We'll keep trying.