Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Photography Contest
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections, Photography on February 18 2014, by Lansing Moore
It is time once again to announce another round of winners in our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. We certainly hope you all enjoyed the long Presidents’ Day weekend in spite of the soggy weather. Appropriately enough, some of our best photographic entries this week captured the beauty of water. Of course, there is a world of difference between the warm mists of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and the ice covering the grounds.
If you’re looking to try your hand at photographing our permanent Conservatory collections, we’re now into week five of a total six judging windows to submit your work, so don’t wait long! Simply upload your photos of the Tropical Paradise exhibition currently in the Conservatory to our Flickr group (don’t forget the #tropicalparadise hashtag) before 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21, to be entered into this week’s judging. Until then, please enjoy the three winning photos in the Macro and Sense-of-Place categories, and stay dry out there!
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Posted in Programs and Events on February 7 2014, by Lansing Moore
After this icy week, we’ve all earned some down time. Luckily the Garden has many opportunities to explore this weekend, both indoors and outdoors.
You can admire trees a hundred years old or a hundred feet high with Sunday’s Winter Plant & Tree Tour, or the many bird species roosting within them along a Saturday Bird Walk. Another tour will guide curious visitors through the historic heart of the Garden, our Beaux Arts Library Building. Completed in 1901, the LuEsther T. Mertz Library contains a rare collection of books and artifacts, and has been declared a New York City landmark along with the adjacent Tulip Tree Allée.
Away from the snow, Tropical Paradise continues to fill the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with brilliant colors. Beyond what there is to see, this weekend’s tour groups will smell and feel samples of historically and culturally significant plants. This Saturday also marks the fourth week of our photography contest, so consider snapping a few shots during your visit. Each contestant will have a chance to win a certificate for one Adult Education photography course of your own choosing. There are two categories, Macro and Sense-of-Place. To better understand the nature of each category, feel free to admire our past entries. You will find more information in our photo contest rules.
Tropical vines, passion flowers, and all the warmth you have been missing during this unpredictable winter—everything is waiting for you at the Garden!
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Posted in Photography on January 27 2014, by Matt Newman
Our Tropical Paradise exhibition is in full swing under the glass of the Conservatory, offering up all the summer warmth and escapism you could need during this winter of frigid polar vortexes. But it’s more than just bright rain forest flowers and a place to ditch your gloves and galoshes. Believe it or not, this highlight of our permanent tropical collection is also a test of skill! Though not to worry—there’s minimal exercise involved beyond working your shutter finger.
This year’s photography contest is all-inclusive. By that, I mean you’re all welcome regardless of gear or skill level. Are you a novice with an iPhone in tow, hoping to get a few pics for your Twitter account? You’re in. Canon-toting DSLR superstar with a years-deep portfolio? Also more than welcome! (Though you’ll have to leave the tripods and monopods at home—sorry!) If you’re rocking an ancient Polaroid SX-70 with disposable flash bars, we want to see your photos. So don’t shy away. As long as you’ve got a Flickr account (and they’re incredibly easy to make), you’ve got a chance at winning our grand prize: a certificate for a free NYBG Adult Education class of your choice.
If you’re not sure what to expect, just lend Kevin Character your eyes and ears for a moment and he’ll set everything straight. He’s got a knack for this sort of thing.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on January 10 2014, by Ann Rafalko
Like all good things, even the Holiday Train Show must come to an end, and this Sunday is your last chance to see this wonderful family exhibition until November comes around again. But that doesn’t mean the train fun is done! All Aboard with Thomas & Friends continues its run in the Ross Hall for several more weeks.
In addition, we have a few tours planned—including the always popular Saturday Bird Walk—to help you stretch your legs after hibernating during this week’s cold snap. And if your little ones have a serious case of cabin fever, bring them along for the last weekend of holiday family fun in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden!
So what’s next on our agenda? Starting January 18, take a trip to the tropics without leaving New York! That’s right, Tropical Paradise returns, along with the very popular Tropical Paradise Photography Contest. So grab your dusty old SLR and brush up on your techniques while you take in the last weekend of everyone’s favorite holiday event!
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Posted in Photography on March 12 2013, by Ann Rafalko
The Tropical Paradise Photography Contest is officially over, which means we have our winners! It’s been a challenging competition not only for the participating photographers, but for the NYBG judges as well–selecting six weeks of winners from such a broad field of top-notch efforts has certainly kept us on our toes. But the moment everyone’s been so anxious for is finally here. So, without further ado, I give you…
Sense of Place Winner: “#tropicalparadise” by Enrie M.
Macro Winner: “Burst” by Flower Photo Fanatic
Head below to meet our runners up!
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Posted in Photography on March 5 2013, by Ann Rafalko
And that’s a wrap folks! The contest is over. The judging is (almost) done. Next week we pick the grand prize winners of the Tropical Paradise Photography Contest!
There will be two winners, one in each category: Sense of Place and Macro. Each person will win a seat in the photography class of their choice offered by the Garden’s Adult Education department.
So, without further commentary, let’s meet our final group of winners!
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Posted in Photography on February 27 2013, by Ann Rafalko
What a week! Sorry for the delay in posting this week’s winners of the Tropical Paradise Photography Contest. Between Orchid Show preparations, some exciting site-wide design updates, and more, we have been so busy, it took us a few days to gather around and judge this week’s entrants. Apologies.
There is one big thing we have noticed in judging this year’s entrants: it has been hard for us to choose a favorite when it comes to sifting through a group of similar images. We know it can be really hard to pick just one from a series of gorgeous shots, but in order to increase your chances of winning, we suggest that when entering future contests (both NYBG and others) you do try. There were several instances where an image could have won, but didn’t because each of the judges liked a different version. We have never asked you to limit the number of photos you enter into this contest, but restraint can be a big part of art. Just a thought.
Since Tropical Paradise is now closed, only photos taken before the end of the show will be accepted into this week’s contest. So feel free to keep entering! Entering is easy–simply upload your pictures to Flickr (please limit it to your very best photographs taken inside the Conservatory during Tropical Paradise), add them to our Group Pool, tag them with #tropicalparadise, and then sit back and hope we pick your pix! And don’t think that just because you’re snapping with an iPhone, you can’t take part–all skill and equipment levels are welcome to participate.
Onto the winners!
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Posted in Photography on February 20 2013, by Ann Rafalko
The photographs in the Tropical Paradise Photography Contest keep getting more beautiful and the judging process keeps getting more difficult.
Thank you to everyone who tried their hand at shooting some Sense of Place photographs! This category was really tough to judge this week, as there were so many beautiful, imaginative shots. Keep up the great work! We love seeing the Conservatory in new ways.
Think you can do better? Then let’s see it! Entering is easy–simply upload your pictures to Flickr (please limit it to your very best photographs taken inside the Conservatory during Tropical Paradise), add them to our Group Pool, tag them with #tropicalparadise, and then sit back and hope we pick your pix! And don’t think that just because you’re snapping with an iPhone, you can’t take part–all skill and equipment levels are welcome to participate.
Alright, let’s get inspired by this week’s crop of tropical beauty!
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Posted in Photography on February 12 2013, by Ann Rafalko
As you may have noticed, our announcement of this week’s Tropical Paradise Photography Contest winners is quite late. Why? Because of the overwhelming number of entries, and the lopsided nature of such. So, I’m going to make an appeal: if you are coming to the Conservatory with an express interest in entering this contest, please, try your hand at taking some “Sense of Place” shots! Not only will you help us in our judging, but you will exponentially enhance your chances of winning one of our prizes! How so? This week there were 120 photographs entered into the “Macro” category, and just 17 “Sense of Place.” How do you like them chances?
I know that “Sense of Place” shots can be difficult, but with a little creativity they can be really great. Some thoughts: Get down low. Get up high (there are some cool staircases throughout the Conservatory galleries). Think about lighting. Look up! Look down! Explore. The Aquatic Plants gallery is really popular for this category, but all of the houses make really great subjects. Experiment! Try new things! That’s part of the fun of this contest. And if you need some help, check out the great videos we did with professional photographer Rich Pomerantz at the bottom of this page.
And don’t forget, it’s easy to enter. Simply upload your pictures to Flickr (please limit them to photographs taken inside the Conservatory during Tropical Paradise), add them to our Group Pool, tag them with #tropicalparadise, and then sit back and hope we pick your pix! And don’t think that just because you’re snapping with an iPhone, you can’t take part–all skill and equipment levels are welcome to participate.
Okay, lecture over! Let’s get on to the winners!
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Posted in Photography on February 4 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Another week, another set of Tropical Paradise Photography Contest winners!
This week saw an increase in the number of entrants, which means the competition is really heating up! And don’t forget, you can enter as many times as you want. So escape the onslaught this week’s Alberta Clippers and bask in the warmth of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (it’s a great way to exercise your Membership, no?).
Curious as to how to enter? Simply upload your pictures to Flickr (please limit them to photographs taken inside the Conservatory during Tropical Paradise), add them to our Group Pool, tag them with #tropicalparadise, and then sit back and hope we pick your pix! And don’t think that just because you’re snapping with an iPhone, you can’t take part–all skill and equipment levels are welcome to participate.
Now … Onto the winners!
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