1st December 2008 to 13th January 2009

Don Tait has been a member of the Royal Photographic Society since the early 1980s. He was a founder member of the RPS Travel Group and was also regularly involved in the new members’ evenings by showing audio-visual presentations of the work of those who had recently been awarded RPS distinctions.

In 1988 Don applied for a Fellowship of the RPS. He had always been very interested in wild orchids, so he decided this was the time to concentrate his photography on European orchids.

The structure of orchid plants is very complicated, so Don decided to provide two prints of the selected orchid, on one 'picture’ - one print to show close-up details of the plant and the other, details of the habitat or some other special feature. As things progressed he sometimes included images of different orchids on the same ‘picture’ to draw attention to unique details. He was pleased that no objection was made by the Distinction Panel to this method of presentation and in 1989 he was awarded his Fellowship.

At that time Don was using a 35mm camera with 50 ISO slide film to produce various audio-visual sequences which he and his wife presented to camera clubs throughout Southern England. In 2002, Don changed to a digital camera, which he now thinks is more practical for his type of photography. The prints in this exhibition have been completed in accordance with the RPS Nature Group Code of Practice. No changes have been made to ‘the original photographs or additions made from any source in the darkroom, or through digital/electronic manipulation’.

The search for additional good examples of wild orchids became more difficult as the years went by, and to photograph some of the orchids in this exhibition he had to travel to Mediterranean countries, including Crete and Corsica.

Don actively supports various Wild Life Trusts, and considers that they are doing an essential job helping to preserve the environments in which these orchids and other wild flowers grow. He thinks that they should be given every possible support, although they cannot unfortunately control urban sprawl. He hopes that this exhibition will encourage people to take an interest in these fascinating flowers so that perhaps when they are walking in the countryside with their children, they will be able to point out these rare orchids. He also hopes to emphasise the fact that orchids are disappearing rapidly because of the loss of the delicately balanced environment in which they grow and, if they are to survive, they and their environment will need our active protection.