Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Photography

TPPC 2014: Week Two Winners!

Posted in Photography on February 4 2014, by Matt Newman

The tallies are in for week two of the Tropical Paradise Photo Contest! With so many great photographs in the submission queue this time around, it was like pulling teeth trying to find a consensus on the winners, but we rallied and came to some good conclusions.

We’re now into week three of the contest as far as submission windows go, and the number of people contributing is still climbing—which we love. Frankly, the more the merrier. The judges and I thrive on a good challenge. But while we’re on the topic, I must remind all newcomers to our contest that the only way to ensure we see your entries is to tag each photo with “#tropicalparadise” when you upload it to our Flickr group. No variations on that, please! Even if we do happen to see a photo with “Tropical Paradise” in the title, we can’t be sure that you intended to submit it officially, and you know what they say about assumptions.

Otherwise, everything has been going swimmingly (aside from our weekly winner announcements, which are a day late as per usual). Keep the photos coming! And without further ado, here are your winners for week two of TPPC 2014.

Read More

Morning Eye Candy: Let Me Count the Days

Posted in Photography on February 2 2014, by Matt Newman

Less than a month now ’til The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary sashays its way into the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. I can certainly count the ways that I love this exhibition, but counting the days might be a better pastime.

Oncidium maculatum var. album

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Oncidium maculatum var. album, in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections

If you love taking photographs of scenes like this, don’t forget to enter our Tropical Paradise Photography Contest!

Morning Eye Candy: Slipping Sky

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on February 1 2014, by Matt Newman

The longer I focus on the middle distance in this image, the more it seems there’s no break between the sky and the earth. Some of the snow’s melted since it was taken last week, but I also think this image tells us the daffodils will be sleeping it off just a liiiittle bit longer.

Daffodil Hill

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

TPPC 2014: Week One Winners!

Posted in Photography on January 28 2014, by Matt Newman

TPPCAnd off we go! Last Friday marked the close of the first week of competition for our Tropical Paradise photography contest, and our early submissions are already looking fantastic. (Though with the roller-coaster of icy weather we’ve been having lately, it’s no surprise our shutterbugs are happily holing up in the summer warmth of the Conservatory.) For those of you who haven’t already made it out to our glasshouse for some shooting, don’t worry—there’s still the better part of five weeks left (’til February 28) to take part.

Still, I wouldn’t wait too long. Submitting new photos during each week’s judging period can only better your chances to win our grand prize: a free Adult Education class of your choice. And because we have two categories of submission—macro and sense-of-place (close-up and wide angle, respectively)—you’re welcome to play to your photographic strengths. For anyone not sure about rules, schedules, or submission guidelines, check out our contest page.

But that’s enough of recaps. Let’s get down to the winners and runners-up for this first week of competition. We’ve got some familiar faces among the early birds this year, and they’re often the ones to beat.

Read More