I think this is Morning Glory?

[Jeff Sorbie]

I enjoy how the light is coming through the flower.

A700 + Sigma 18-50 f/2.8 EX Macro, 40mm, 1/500, f/2.8, ISO 100

[Julie Kenward]

Yup, that's a morning glory and yup, that's why they call them morning glories! Aren't they beautiful?!

I like that you went with a square comp as it really fits well in the frame but it does feel a bit tight. Adding a little bit of room the next time will allow you to crop in without it being quite so close to the frame. (Remember if you print this you'll need a little room for the mat!)

I think 2.8 was a little shallow for this as the edges are a bit more out of focus (OOF) than the center. Try f/4 or 5.6 and stay straight across to keep the flower in the focal plane of the camera. Also, look for an angle that shows the great light without all the hots spots in the background (BG) and you'll have something really special!

Nice image, Jim...keep at it!

[Mike Moats]

Hey Jeff, these flowers do a great job on allowing light to flow through. I agree on the tight comp, needs a little more breathing room. Always study every flower in the patch to find that flower that offers the least distracting BG. A little more space on this flower would add more to the BG which is has a lot going on, and maybe that was your idea on the tight comp to help eliminate some of that.

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Jeff, they are wonderful flowers indeed! I tried growing them in my garden without much success. I agree with the others regarding the composition, but I draw different conclusions regarding the solution. Distracting BG's and soft edges on the subject call for a less room instead of more IMO ;). See how you like my repost (just a much tighter crop). You can easily add to the effect by adding a spot filter effect in PP, diffusing the edges even more.

[Jeff Sorbie]

Thanks for the advice all. I like the tighter crop also Jerry. If the BG was less busy I would have liked more of the flower also.