🇬🇧 Purple orchid…
For me, the purple orchid is one of the most beautiful orchids in the Eifel. It also has the advantage of being quite large and flowering early in the year. At that time, the undergrowth isn’t too tall yet, and it rises proudly in all its splendour from the green sea of grasses. But it isn’t alone: here and there, the first specimens of the stately orchid are already making an appearance.
My aim, as it is every year, is to photograph the purple orchid at sunrise. As the nearest spot where you can not only find purple orchids but also photograph them as the sun rises is about an hour’s drive from my home, this usually means I have to be out of bed by four o’clock in the morning at the latest. I spared myself that this year: I booked myself into a nearby hotel for four nights, which meant I only had to get up at five o’clock (much more relaxed)! What a luxury! And because it was so lovely, I did it four times in a row – that’s how a holiday should be! But nothing comes for free. The same applies here: if you want to take beautiful photos, you have to suffer! (But the breakfast afterwards tastes all the better for it.)
And I didn't regret it. Three out of four days offered perfect sunrises, giving me the opportunity to try out my three new acquisitions under ideal conditions: the OM-1 Mark II, the OM 50-200mm F2.8, and the Voigtlaender 60mm F0.95. But I won't say any more about that now – I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!
Oh, and one more quick note on slow-paced nature photography: when the sun touches the horizon, things get hectic! Within a few minutes, it’s all over and the sun is simply too high in the sky to take any decent photos. So you really need to know exactly what you’re doing. There’s hardly any time for mistakes. Anyone who’s picked the wrong orchid in the wrong spot is in for a real rush! Here’s a series of a purple orchid – taken within two minutes. After that, it was all over.
All three images were taken with the OM-1 II and the 50-200mm F2.8 lens. There wasn't time to change lenses!
It doesn't always have to be the latest technology: The older Olympus 40-150mm F2.8 is also perfectly suited for photographing the sun at sunrise. This particular image, however, dates back to last year.
Overnight, two bee-flies had made themselves comfortable on the purple orchid.
OM-1 II with 50-200mm F2.8
OM-1 with Voigtlaender 60mm F0.95
A not quite so stately orchid – but in a perfect environment.
OM-1 with Voigtlaender 60mm F0.95
OM-1 with Voigtlaender 60mm F0.95
On the first morning, I was able to try out the graduated neutral density filter of the OM-1 II. Unfortunately, the sun was hidden behind a layer of clouds, which, however, looked all the better for it.