Impressions of Nature - Nature Photography from Minnesota's Premiere Nature Photgrapher John Pennoyer

Many people have asked me what my favorite subjects to photograph are. And how I always answer it depends on what I am photographing at the time. That is really a true statement because I enjoy all aspects of my nature photography. With that being said, I really do enjoy photographing the native orchid species that we have here in Minnesota . One of the benefits of being a nature photographer is that in order to photographer certain species whether it be plant or animal is that you must be in their habitat to get that image. Many of Minnesota ’s 43 native orchids will only grow in very specific and pristine environments. The bog and peat lands of northern Minnesota can make a perfect environment for many species of orchids.

One of my favorite days to photograph botanical subjects is an overcast day. The clouds will actually act as a diffuser to allow even lighting over the subject. A bonus would be if the clouds allow just a nice mist of rain to fall. This will really help saturate the colors. I was lucky to have a day such as that when I discovered this nice grouping of Pink Lady’s-slippers in a bog. This orchid is commonly referred to as Pink Lady’s-slipper; however a more accurate name is Stemless Lady’s-slipper. The word stemless is confusing to many people but this refers to the fact that the actual stem is underground generally not seen. What we assume is the stem is actually the scape or peduncle. This orchid is classified as “relatively common” in Minnesota and it is probably one of the most frequently seen orchids that we have. But for me to find this grouping in such a beautiful environment was a huge bonus. I have many images of this species but this photo quickly became my favorite. Not only was I fortunate to have an overcast day with a little mist falling, but there also was no wind. How often do we photographers get everything to come together like that? With my camera and lens mounted on a sturdy tripod, bubble level attached and using a cable release, I captured many different compositions of many other lady’s-slippers in this bog as well.

Camera: Nikon D100
Lens: Nikon 12-24mm @ 24mm
ISO: 200
White Balance: Cloudy
Meter: Matrix
Exposure: Manual F-22 @ 1 second
Exposure Compensation: None
Flash Card: Lexar
Tripod: Gitzo 1548 CF

Note: Resource for some information, “Orchids of Minnesota” by Welby R. Smith

Contact: John Pennoyer
Business Phone: 763-416-4134
Cell Phone: 763-913-8651
E-mail: info@impressionsofnature.net