The Orchid Show 2022: Capturing the Perfect Shot

As the only botanical garden in the world dedicated to the display and study of epiphytic plants, Selby Gardens hosts its annual Orchid Show each fall to explore the beauty and diversity of orchids through new interpretive themes, with a variety of supplemental programs and events. Presented by Better-Gro®, this year’s Orchid Show celebrates the fine art and meticulous science of flora photography.

Starring the plant family for which we are best known, this annual exhibition focuses attention on Selby Gardens’ specialty—our living collections and research—in an imaginative new way. The Orchid Show 2022: Capturing the Perfect Shot celebrates the beauty and diversity of orchids by featuring unique horticultural displays and stunning scientific photographs of our own rare orchid collection.

The Orchid Show 2022: Capturing the Perfect Shot showcases the breathtaking camerawork of a group of devoted Selby Gardens volunteers. Their images spanning 20-plus years convey the magic and majesty of orchids, while also contributing significantly to botanical science. The women and men who document orchids from the living collection recognize that each plant is unique and requires an individualized approach. They describe their work as plant portraiture, the aim of which is to capture the distinguishing features of each orchid as faithfully as possible.

The photographs on view have been created by a group of skilled photographers deeply connected to Selby Gardens’ mission, including Dr. Wade Collier, Dr. Aaron Fink, Suzanne Havens, Sandra Robinson, and Dr. Phil Nelson—the first to begin digitally photographing the collection nearly two decades ago.

The diverse array of orchid imagery is displayed within the galleries of the Museum of Botany & the Arts as well as in the Tropical Conservatory of our Downtown Sarasota campus.

The Orchid Show 2022: Capturing the Perfect Shot is presented by Better-Gro®