Sophronitis coccinea - Orchid Board

RJSquirrel · #1 11-13-2022, 01:42 PM

its red. if it flattens out some, needs to outgrow the rag on the end of the petal. its going to be a close one for mr grinch. one petal lower right does seem to be (is) slightly smaller. I dont know if we can outgrow that but mr grinch will catch it. Its still growing and I hope it makes it to the judging table next week

it has a 2nd bud and what I can feel is a 3rd and 4th. if these are born too fast they will get smaller. More Fertilizer bright light and kept cool is what it needs to keep up with the growth.

Roberta · #2 11-13-2022, 05:22 PM

Nice! One lovely characteristic of Sophronitis flowers... they tend to get bigger (and flatter) over a week or two after they're open. So this one likely will keep on improving. Good luck on the judging!

RJSquirrel · #3 11-17-2022, 10:14 PM

my new camera doesnt suit me well..The red is resistant to being reproduced by the cheap lens it came with.

its looking better but not going to outgrow the tear on the petal. The dorsal sepal is crooked, not centered to the petals and the lateral sepals aren't symmetrical..maybe next time huh?

thanks for looking

Roberta · #4 11-17-2022, 10:28 PM

Red is the toughest color to photograph. It's not the lens, it's the sensor. The way it was explained to me (and makes sense) is that the camera software has been optimized for skin tones. (phones are worse) The camera software makes judgements about white balance and tries to compensate for what it sees as "error" and ends up over-saturating the reds. My suggestion would be to try saving the image as a RAW file rather than JPG. (No compression and no "processing") Then make adjustments in Photoshop or similar photo-editing software. Or play with your camera's white balance settings. Photograph in daylight.

And seek the advice of Board contributors who are 'way better photographers than I am!

This is a reason why botanical illustrators still have jobs... A skilled botanical illustrator can see - and reproduce accurately - subtleties of color that defy the photographic process.

RJSquirrel · #5 11-17-2022, 10:38 PM

gives me ideas how to cure this RED syndrome.. it does make sense. with the flash the red washes out and you see that the flower is orange and yellow striped. Its thoroughly confused the sensor. Ill try the RAW and see if I can get a better pic that's more realistic of what I see

thank you

Roberta · #6 11-17-2022, 10:48 PM

I have had some luck with S. coccinea, S. bicolor (C. dichroma) etc. in the shade, morning or afternoon - lower sun angle and soft light, capturing the yellow and the subtle red striping in the throat. Maybe 1 out of 20 shots. Under-expose then brighten it up in Photoshop helps get the detail. I know where the "delete" key is... once in awhile I succeed. More often I fail.