From the moment he saw his first Tillandsia in New Zealand, Sim Eng Hiang has worked tirelessly to cultivate, preserve, promote, and photograph these exotic treasures. Here, an esteemed member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain shares his life’s work as a naturalist and photographer for one of the plant kingdom’s finest creations, the Tillandsia. His photographs were taken throughout the year with only the natural light of the morning. To showcase the dramatic colour changes the plants display as they prepare to bloom, he photographed them against a darkened background. He also presents more formal portraits of his subjects, carefully lit and artistically arranged for the camera. The plants are mounted on wooden blocks or hung from fishing line such that readers will experience the Tillandsia in all its glory. Devoted to one of nature’s finest gifts, Exotic Tillandsia is also a call to end the destruction humans unleash on nature—and ultimately ourselves.
