Its amazing what a black background can do...
 

Some pictures of my currently blooming orchids taken in the early morning sun with a black background. What a HUGE difference a $6 foam board can make!

Note on the first image, the two blooms are actually two different colors which I love!

Plants are as follows:

1) C. Orchidglade 'SVO' HCC/AOS x Pot Rubescense 'Little Brother' (purchased at South Florida Orchid Society show/sale last weekend)

2) Blc. Golden Tang - Waianae Leopard 'Aroma Vibrato' X C. Penny Kuroda - L. briegeri 'Corpusles' (newly acquired from Florida West Coast Orchid Society show/sale last weekend)

3) NOID from local farmers market last November

4) Vanda Memo Som Jit x Tessellata (that is what i bought it as but i really doubt that is what it actually is....any insight would be appreciated)

Excellent! They all look great! are the colors in the first pictures the same as in person. I know reds can be a little hard to get right.

The tone of the color in the first one is correct but they are a little bright due to the way the sun was on them. It is unreal, the left bloom is purple and the right is peach. I thought they would even out as the blooms aged but I have had them for over a week and neither one has faded at all. I hope they stay 2 colors, its really neat!

Very nice pics :) Tho colors of the first one are so so gorgeous and sparkly! Love the Phal as well, the pink blush is nice. I agree, having a black background makes a huge improvement, I was amazed the first time I used it. You can improve your photos even more by having bright indirect light on them, it avoids having the harsh shadows. I fashioned some reflectors with crumpled aluminum on cardboard to reflect light on the darker side of the plant so it is illuminated evenly.

Nice!

Your NOID phal is particularly stunning with the black background contract.

Beautiful blooms! Vanda is my favorite whatever her name is.

Beautiful orchids! I especially like the vanda. I've been experimenting with orchid photography also. I'm still at the point where I take lots and lots of pictures and occasionally wind up with good one. Your pictures are vey nice. Good job.

Well done.

Kim

Thanks everyone!

Wonderful.

I love the colour of that NoID Phal. Really pretty delicate pattening!

I often use a black cloth I picked up years ago for a back drop.
Much more conveniently portable than a board backdrop but often much less convenient for setting up.

Very true ... though there are times that harsh shadows can really result in some interesting and attractive effects, IMO.

Nice work. You might want to try some other colors including an off white and the others are right about indirect light.

Really nice! When I paint orchids I like to use a black background. It really does make them pop.

I use black velvet a lot. I often try another colour just to switch things up but most of the time black is my preference.

Lovely pictures. Another tip for a good dark black is to set the plant a distance from the black cloth or board. Also focus and meter your camera on the flower not the black. The camera will want to over-expose the black into a grey colour if the metering is pointed there.