Orchid: Color or B&W?

[FowlersFreeTime]

I have come across a few orchids recently that have lovely pale yellow/green/blend-of-the-two-color flowers. The problem is, sometimes that is too close to the color of the foliage. How would you edit or approach such flowers? Keen to hear feedback; I'm here to learn.

Here is an example. Color, very light on editing:

• E 17-70mm F2.8 B070
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3000001907349
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 100

Now black & white as an experiment to remove the distraction of the color:

• E 17-70mm F2.8 B070
• 70.0 mm
• ƒ/6.3000001907349
• 1/500 sec
• ISO 100

Was I simply over exposed? should I have walked around the flower to find a different angle with a contrasting background?

 

[-ST-]

Hi, Chris.
No expert here by any means, but since you asked, here are some thoughts:

• Can you view a histogram of the image to see if the highlights are overexposed?
• I would have liked more sharpness in the petals inside (farther back) to be in sharper focus
  • I wonder if closing the aperture would have increased the depth-of-field, resulting in more of the petals (particularly inside, farther back), to be in focus. This should have given them more definition
• I prefer the colour image

 

[BryLogan]

I’ve always preferred blooms with a spreading morphology like orchids shown in color; even those that are delicately camouflaged by their natural surroundings. Conversely, I think blooms that are more architecturally structured, like the classic calla lily, can better stand up to a monochrome presentation.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Hi, Chris.
No expert here by any means, but since you asked, here are some thoughts:

• Can you view a histogram of the image to see if the highlights are overexposed?
• I would have liked more sharpness in the petals inside (farther back) to be in sharper focus
  • I wonder if closing the aperture would have increased the depth-of-field, resulting in more of the petals (particularly inside, farther back), to be in focus. This should have given them more definition
• I prefer the colour image

Let me get the histogram of the original image and post it in a subsequent reply. Good call.
I definitely should have stopped down even more than f6.3, its a bad habit of mine with the flower photography: not stopping down enough.
Thanks for the input!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

I’ve always preferred blooms with a spreading morphology like orchids shown in color; even those that are delicately camouflaged by their natural surroundings. Conversely, I think blooms that are more architecturally structured, like the classic calla lily, can better stand up to a monochrome presentation.

Thank you for your input. Perhaps I can keep the color and up the contrast a bit.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

So by default, I don't look at the histogram in ON1 when I'm editing photos. Perhaps I should...

 

[Gaz]

I love my orchids. In your shot try and decrease the background exposure. In LR you could do that with a mask, and in Luminar Neo you could increase the contrast between warm and cool colours, which would make the green appear darker than the yellow.

In Apple photos you could darken the background by playing around with increasing shadows and black while offsetting black with contrast and shadows with brightness…. ?

B/W doesn’t do it justice

A 30 second tweak on Apple photos…. The detail in the subject seems a little muddy.

That kind of flower usually has lovely details and you need to shift it around a bit to pick up the best light to express the texture. And, because they’re so sculptural, you’ll want to increase the depth of field.

• iPhone 4
• 3.9 mm
• ƒ/2.8
• 1/368 sec
• ISO 80

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Thanks @Gaz
I know the quality on this shot wasn't great, which is why I didn't include it in the other thread: https://www.alphashooters.com/community/threads/a-few-of-my-mums-flowers.6408/

So yeah, I think I will have to remember to stop down more for these Phalaenopsis blooms and spend more time to find their optimal angle.

 

[spudhead]

colour Chris

 

[Roland]

I have to go with colors. The yellow orchid just has not enough contrast for B&W.

 

[Landshark99]

I usually like my flowers in color but I think the B&W version can be just as interesting. I would suggest the B&W example here could use a little post processing to bring out the details of the orchid and make the image that much more intriguing.