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another bloomin orchid.
what does or does not work in these shots.
I have some with way to much DOF and you see the cluter of the back ground, others are too shallow and you lose sharp detail of the flower.
These shown pretty much have the shallow DOF.
What is the better way to go?

Cryptostylis subulata is an Australian terrestrial orchid.
This patch is located near lake Munmorah (Newcastle NSW)
The flower is about 25 mm long and blooms around November.
They really have some great colour.

You have a few options on the backgrounds, including:
* Place something behind the flower and in front of the distracting background items, such as a piece of cardboard or paper of uniform colour. Grey or brown could work quite well.
* Light the subject with flash and then adjust the shutter speed to darken the background so that it is not as obvious. This works best when the flash is directed in such a way as to not light the background.
* Go with a shallow DOF, as you have done, but this can take away from the subject if it is too shallow.

For flash lighting, you'd be better off with either:
* a soft box
* a light tent
* two flashes with diffusers to soften the light as well as fill in the shadows somewhat.

#2 and #3 work for me.

Do some gardening where it is not going to effect anything overtly.
If that is dead material behind #1 then move it out of the way.
Andy made a neat little clamp and rod set up to help with holding stuff out of the way. It is also great for those windy days.
Regards Colin