Tutari flowering as dusk

[Abhishek Jamalabad]

Rhamphicarpa is a flowering herb common in fields and open grounds. Its flowers open only between dusk and dawn, as they are pollinated exclusively by nocturnal moths. The plant is called 'Tutari' in Goa & Maharashtra - a reference to the traditional trumpet-like musical instrument used in the region.

In this image, the Rhamphicarpa plants are the tall ones in the centre, and they are surrounded by hundreds of spherical Eriocaulon flowers.

Tried an experimental image of these plants at my neighbourhood plateau. I waited for low light, and then lit this with a dim torch and a long exposure. I rarely use artificial lighting for long exposures, so I was just playing around and was not sure how this would turn out. (I initially wanted to use ambient light only, but that did not work out well.) The natural whiteness of the the surrounding Eriocaulon flowers is duller than Rhamphicarpa, so I tried to use that factor in this image. Lastly, it was very windy, but thankfully the breeze didn't interfere with this particular exposure!

Canon 760D, Canon 18-55mm IS
SS 8 sec
Av 14
ISO 400

C&C welcome.

[Prajwal J Ullal]

AWESOME!!!
Had been to a location where i did spot tutari bloom few years back, unfortunately couldnt spot a single one this time, probably had weathered off by the tie I reached the spot

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Your experiment has worked. The mood is different and nice. It certainly catches the attention. The background suggests that it is already dark. Keep on experimenting. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Mrudul Godbole]

The white flowers standing tall in the center and surrounded by hundreds of smaller flowers helps them to stand out. The surrounding darkness highlights the fact that they bloom only after dusk. Nice frame. Thanks for sharing.