Our old reliable Christmas Cactus - this is the first bloom of the season. Every year I have lots of fun with this beauty. Here's one of my all time C.C. favorites - http://ed-k-photo.smugmug.com/gallery/6347116_QLbuh#400782118_joyDY
Getting a pleasing composition, without intruding distractions and filling a 2x3 frame with precise spacing is a challenge. To compare this pretty picture with what the scene actually looked like -
>> A third hand gadget holding a piece of white paper 1" below the flower to reflect light into the bottom
>> Cardboard box on table so that plant can be placed at the right height relative to background
>> A piece of rumpled green tissue taped to a window in the background to give a nice background color
>> Three (pink) pipe-stem cleaners twisted & looped around various stems to hold them out of the way
>> Camera on tripod contorted at a strange angle
>> Grungy bearded man hovering over the scene
would be an illustration of the fact that if photographs don't lie they certainly bend the truth a lot.