It's the flora version of the Blue Angels - flying their red/cream rockets and streaming green exhaust behind them.
Actually it's the return of the Christmas cactus. Last year, 2005-6, they bloomed twice - Christmas & Easter. This year it was mid-December for the first cycle and now they're at it again. Maybe it's two separate plants in the same planter? Whatever, it's nice to get two photo ops in one season.
They are oriented front to back as well as up/down. Front to back distance was about 5-6 inches and even at f/32 the DOF is a problem. I focused on the middle one - about 1/3 back in the "formation" - and that worked better than any other point. Reasonably sharp focus (but not good enough for a competition judge looking to meet his mandatory 75% "out"s quota. Funny story - my mentor equates photo competitions where only 25% can ribbon to a demolition derby - the last photos surviving are the winners. I no longer enter the derby - quit on top & got out when the getting was good.).
105 1:1 macro lens (no 1:1 needed here), natural light, color balance via coffee filter over lens, black paper backdrop; CP to supress the glare that this flower (and some others) produces on its petals. WIthout the CP the lower right flower has a section that's pure white (blown out glare). Buy yourself a CP because even the great god, Adobe, can't help you here if it's not done properly in the camera. And yeah, Steve, it's an Orton.
I need to do this again and see if I can improve on the flat lighting. Tomorrow's another day.