Orchid blossoms transcend their daily existence. Of course, each exists as a wonderful, sensuous blossom. However, each blossom also seems to exist in another world. In some cases a blossom will join the human world. One may be a caricature of a human figure, such as a ballerina or a whirling dervish. Another may convey a gesture, like a courtesy. Many blossoms also have a very human sensuality: with veins and shapes that are like our own. In other cases, a blossom may be from a strange and distant world. We may see a strange prehistoric bird or a small spacecraft from a distant planet. The nature of their existence is limited only by the imagination of the beholder. They speak to each beholder differently, in a very intimate way, in the way in which the viewer is open.

I live with and raise orchids. I feel like creatures rather than flowers surround me. Each orchid asks to be photographed in its own way. I merely listen and follow the instruction of each. Each orchid lives in its own world and invites us to join it there.

In order to convey the special world of the orchid to you, I wait for each orchid to speak, and then I seize the moment. I use a 4 x 5 Deardorff with a long lens and long bellows to capture the essence of the blossom. I then subject each negative to the solarization technique (made famous by Man Ray) in order to create the atmosphere or environment in which each orchid blossom lives its unique existence. Each negative is printed in a straightforward way on warm tone silver gelatin paper and toned with selenium.