2008
08
MAY
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Green Winged Orchids at Marden Meadow |
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
Marden Meadow  | - Click on the image above to view gallery
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In early May there is an incredible display of thousands of Green-Winged Orchids (Anacamptis morio formerly Orchis morio) at Marden Meadows, which is situated near to Staplehurst, so it’s always worth a trip to this nature reserve looked after by the Kent Wildlife Trust. One of the meadows is a good example of an unimproved hay meadow, which means it has never been fertilised and so plants that like these poor conditions grow very well. The two adjacent fields have been purchased by Kent Wildlife Trust, who by spreading the hay and seeds from the unimproved meadow, hope to restore it to how it would have been in the past. Techniques
 Diffuser (L) and reflector (R) The day I visited was a beautiful warm sunny day; the kind of day it’s a pleasure to be out, but bright conditions don’t always make for the best pictures when you are trying to take macro pictures of orchids. I never used to think this way though and would often think bright sunny conditions were best but since using a diffuser and seeing the results it’s always worth trying, especially in the middle of the day when the sun is at its brightest. The picture here shows a diffuser panel (L) and reflector (R) in action. The diffuser panel diffuses the harsh sunlight and creates lower contrast lighting which reveals more details in the flowers. The silver reflector bounces light back helping to fill any shadows.  The difference a diffuser can make My top tips for photographing green winged orchids- Be prepared to get down low
- Bring something comfortable to kneel on
- If it's damp then bring a plastic sheet to lay on
- A beanbag is often more useful than a tripod when working just above the ground
- Even a piece of white card can be used to help fill in shadows if you do not have a reflector
- Don't just shoot macros, a wide angle lens shows the habitat too
- The end of April to early May is generally when they are in flower
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Peter