It is one day prior to my departure for a two-week trip. My computer decided to freeze on me this morning. Online tech support did not solve the problem and not even after I took the machine into the shop. It was working at the shop, but not at home. I just did not have any sympathy for my busy packing day. Speaking for myself, It is hard to come by without a computer or smartphone these days.
This is the second year that my Epiphyllum flower bloomed. This flower only blooms once a year, only blooms in the evening, and the bloom only lasts less than ten hours. I had two blooms this year on two consecutive nights. Instead of flash, this time I chose to light the flowers with hydrogen light. On the second night, I made my first attempt of 2-min interval shots. The gradual progression of the blooming was successfully recorded, but the same exposure did not work for all when the light condition of the bloom had changed. The whole day’s ordeal with my computer has made it impossible for me to edit all the shots and make them a slide show on time.
I am posting a few shots taken at different times (place the mouse on the image to see capture time).
I wish the flower will bloom during the day under more ideal light condition. But I did not want to miss the opportunity to record this nature phenomenon either. By the time when I put my gear away, it was past midnight. So I did not get up till 7:30am the next morning… The stamen has lost its vitality and the stigma was shrinking. Such a beauty but with such a short life. Overpowered with sadness, I lifted it up and placed it on top of her leaves as if I wanted to provide her support to sustain a bit longer.
Unfortunately when I snapped another shot at 8:00 am, the flower was down to its life end. She could not even wait for the sunlight to come through…
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