“She lay quietly among other flowers. As if unaware of her intense beauty, she humbly shared a crowded stand in a farm. She whispered by my ear and I turned. My eyes were filled with her regal colours as my heart halted. Her glowing face nodded at me.

I indulged myself in the contemplation of her sheer beauty, her intricate face, her lovely petals and her delicate patterns. I wondered whether she was missing the feeling of warm damp soil, the company of foliage and the caress of misty rain”.

During my travels in Thailand and Cambodia, I reveled in the extraordinary and fragile beauty of the Orchid. A large-scale illegal trade and other threats decimate their environment.

Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCNR) list 100 Orchid species in status from vulnerable to critically endangered.

Image © Carmen Mandel-Cesáreo

Artist statement
My photographs are not enhanced; they represent the true nature and colours of the subjects as captured by the lens. I never lure my animated subjects to come close to me: spontaneity is the key.

This is an original image and not cropped.

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I donate all proceeds from the sales of my Orchid photography to:

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCNR).

The IUCNR bring together 83 states, 110 government agencies, more than 800 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and some 10,000 scientists and experts from 181 countries in a unique worldwide partnership.