Lady of the Night

[Norm Dulak]

D7200 w/28-300mm @ 210mm, hand held
ISO 800; f/7.1, 1/200 sec.; MM -0.33

The color and shape of this Orchid Cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) bud caught my eye in the Longwood Gardens Conservatory. And there is a remarkable story behind this plant.

It has been nicknamed "Lady of the Night," because beautiful white blossoms emerge from the bud only in the dark of night. And the blossoms emit a warmth and fragrance that, in their native forest setting, attract hummingbird, bat and moth pollinators.

All comments and suggestions are welcome.

[Anita Bower]

Beautiful smoothness and color and light on the bud. Maybe clear up the light area in the upper part of the image so it won't distract from the beautiful bud.

On a separate note, I'd love your impressions of the Nikon D7200, which I'm thinking of buying. My D300 is dying and I need to replace it. I'd love to have a body that allowed higher ISO settings and less noise.

[MiroslavMaric]

Like the details, lighting and frame. Thanks for sharing the story too!

Cheers,
Miro

[John Robinson]

Great! Good descriptive too. I grow the "normal" Epyphyllums but never had this one. Even the red ones don't last long!!
Good to see it open ????
JohnR

[Diane Miller]

Lovely subject, sharp and nice tonalities. I'd crop from the top to get rid of half of that lighter area and look at subduing the rest of it.

[Norm Dulak]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

[OvidiuCavasdan]

Very nice color tones, nice light and thanks for the story.