What is Orchid photographs by Gary Yong Gee?

Orchid photographs by Gary Yong Gee (yonggee.name) is the personal hobby website of an amateur orchid photographer who has been photographing species orchids for more than 45 years. It is a reference and image resource for orchid enthusiasts, not a commercial photography business or a shop. Use it if you want to browse species orchid photographs, read notes on individual species, or find links to other orchid resources — and expect the collection to keep growing rather than to be complete.

What you will find on the site

The site is organised around a small menu: Home, Articles, Talks, Links, and Orchid photographs.

• Photographs — species orchid images, many taken in situ in various countries, plus photos from orchid conference displays.
• Articles — notes originally written for the Orchid Species Bulletin, published by the Orchid Species Society in Brisbane, Queensland, turned into articles with accompanying photos.
• Talks — a selection of talks given to orchid societies and other groups, including talks delivered over Zoom.
• Links — links to other sites with information about species orchids, particularly in Australia and New Zealand.

How large is the collection?

The site's own account of its holdings:

The author notes that progress in building the pages has been gradual and asks visitors to come back later as more information is uploaded. So a species you are looking for may not be on the site yet.

Where the photographs come from

Two main sources are described:

1. In situ photographs taken in various countries around the world.
2. Conference displays, including each of the last thirteen World Orchid Conferences — Tokyo, Auckland, Glasgow, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Kuala Lumpur, Dijon, Miami, Singapore, Johannesburg, Guayaquil, Tainan and Dresden.

Some of the photographs have also appeared in books and magazines.

The classification approach

This matters if you use the site for identification or taxonomy. The author states a preference for a consistent taxonomic classification of Orchidaceae that does not rely predominantly on DNA and genetic information. Alongside plant habit and floral characteristics, he prefers to also acknowledge ecology, pollination biology and breeding behaviour.

Practical consequence: names and groupings on the site may differ from classifications you see elsewhere that are driven mainly by genetic data. Treat the site as one consistent viewpoint rather than a neutral authority.

Who runs it

Gary Yong Gee describes himself as an amateur, not a professional photographer, and calls the project a hobby — "some might say an obsession." He also grows orchids in an orchid house. For over 40 years he has written a regular monthly article with detailed notes about 17 or more orchids for the Orchid Species Bulletin, normally commenting on plants displayed at the society's meetings.

He invites contact from anyone who wants him to give a talk to their organisation.

When this site is the right choice

• Good fit: you want to look at species orchid photographs, read species notes, or find Australian and New Zealand orchid links.
• Good fit: you want to invite a speaker on species orchids for a society meeting, in person or over Zoom.
• Poor fit: you need a complete, taxonomically neutral database, a commercial image licence, or a shop. Nothing on the site indicates pricing, licensing terms or sales.

Because content is added gradually, check the "Orchids" option on the menu to see how far the pages currently go before assuming a species is absent.