Oxalis bowei

[Greg Ruckert]

http://www.alpacamanagement.com/images/OxalisBowei.jpg

Canon EOS Kiss X4,
Shooting Mode Macro,
Shutter Speed 1/160,
F 5.6,
ISO Speed 100,
Lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS,
Focal Length 55.0mm,
Natural Light with black background.

I had thought of removing the finished flower but thought it added character to the shot. Look forward to any and all input.

[Julie Kenward]

Greg, I think your first instinct might have been right. I think this composition would be much more powerful if all we saw were the top three blossoms and the stem/closed flowers against that great black BG. It's so simple at the top and then gets so busy at the bottom. When I photograph flowers I stop and ask myself "Am I going for simple, for pattern, for repetition here?" That will help you decide what to leave in and what to leave out.

Nice colors and sharpness on the top flowers, though. The very centers might need a little selective sharpening to add that final punch.

[Dave Woeller]

I like the lighting on this, and like Julie, I like that black background. I also feel there is a bit too much tension in the bottom half of the composition. Overall a nice shot with good detail and color. Thanks for sharing.

[Allen Sparks]

Very nice shot with great background and lighting. I agree with losing the spent flower.

[Ken Childs]

Jules already covered anything I was going to say. I think if you follow her suggestions, this will be an extremely nice shot.

[Dave Leroy]

Nicely done with the colours. Flowers look really good with the black bg, good idea.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Greg,
Julie covered many of my concerns but I will add.....try adding some blacks to the darker area.....I did it in the 2nd repost to show you how the image could have looked with just a shift in camera position. In this first repost.....the red lines will represent how by just angling your camera....you could have eliminated many of the things that brought that tension/busyness into the image. A clothespin or plamp to hold back the almost spent bud....would have taken it the last step. I am showing this so that you can better see that by rotating the camera slighly....even if that isn't the way it actually presented.....can make a big difference.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Here is a repost by dragging your OP onto a black BG.....rotating...cropping....making the blacks darker ......and sharpening the centers of the flowers slightly.....with the camera rotation....and strategic clothespin....you could have achieved the same result in the field....just some food for thought when composing. I did not add in leaf....just to show a possibility.