“It’s the latest trend: collecting. And with orchids you can create a wonderful collection. Just like some people collect watches, you can also collect orchids.

Mixing large and small, variations in leaf shape and colour – the possibilities are endless. So don’t have three identical plants in a row, but five completely different ones. My comparison with watches is not a spurious one: orchids also give you a luxurious and rich feeling. And I think an orchid is always beautiful, whether you have a very expensive specimen or a cheaper variety.

I grew up surrounded by flowers and plants, trained as a master arranger and then went to art college. There you learn a different way of seeing. I use that to show people how beautiful flowers and plants are. I have felt that to be my main mission for the past thirty years: showing flowers and plants in the best possible light.
To do that, my work has included training florists and designing exhibitions in many countries. In recent years the focus has particularly been on photography for international campaigns, and I am also working a lot with film and video.

For photoshoots you sometimes need to modify a flower or plant a bit to get the right composition. You can just about get away with removing a leaf from an orchid, but I don’t think you should ever remove a flower. Because I know how much effort it takes the plant to create that flower. With a cyclamen it doesn’t matter – they have so many flowers. But for the orchid that flower is its life’s work; so you need to treat it with care and respect.

At least that’s what I think. Not everyone agrees. I remember an assignment in Iceland. It was at least twenty degrees below zero, but flowers and plants were being carried down the street completely open and exposed. Wrapping was less important; what counted was that people could see what you were bringing!”

Elize Eveleens
Stylist

Co-owner of Klimprodukties (incl. photostyling of flowers and plants)
www.klimprodukties.nl