Curled

[Brendan Dozier]

Taken at a local lagoon, don't have ID, but liked the curl and backlighting. Some rotation & crop, removed a few spots on plant, some NR on BG. Probably could have used a bit more dof :S3:

7D, EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, tripod
1/1600
4.0
ISO 250

C & C welcome & appreciated,

- Brendan

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hi Brendan, well spotted! Great leading line and the light is gorgeous. The centre of the curl catching the backlight take this over the top. I see what you mean about DOF, but I don't find it distracting, it adds a soft touch to the image. I would lose the brown flowers on the lower end. A square crop from the top part of the image might give a powerful composition.

[OvidiuCavasdan]

Well seen and captured. Good composition, sharpness and I like the backlighting. Dof works for me as is. Nice BG. I like it!

[Brendan Dozier]

Thanks Jerry & Ovidiu, much appreciated.
Here's a repost to compare, I like things about each one. The OP seems show off the lighting a bit more with more of BG included, and longer curving vertical line, while the repost has a pleasing graphic composition, emphasizing the lighted curl, diagonal line from the corner, and the symmetry of the negative space on both sides.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Brendan. Beautiful form and comp, very interesting lighting, and an excellent background. The DOF works for me as presented. I prefer the OP - not only is it very aesthetically pleasing, but it also demonstrates how the flowers on this plant open sequentially from bottom to top. This is very well done! :cheers:

[Jerry van Dijk]

Hey Brendan, I see what you mean about both having their merits. Steve has a good point about the phenology of the flower, and I like the longer leading line. Regarding the repost, I would not have cropped from the right. A little more room accentuates the curving line. Now part of that line is interfering with the edges of the frame.

[Brendan Dozier]

Thanks, Steve & Jerry, much appreciated.

Steve - that is an interesting fact / observation regarding the blooming sequence.

Jerry - I see what you mean regarding not to crop on right.

[Ron Sprunger]

Another vote for the OP, I think it's terrific. The line's great, and my first thought was that the dead flowers look great and lead the eye to the ever-fresher white.

[Ken Childs]

And another vote for the OP! There's a lot to like about this image....the gentle curve of the stem leading to the tight spiral with the glowing center....the light glow in the BG surrounding the stem.....the diagonal flow....they all come together to make this one beautiful image! For this subject, the DOF looks fine. You might consider a slight crop from from the left. The dead flowers look good to me but for the heck of it, try lightly painting over them with some of the green from the stem....just enough to take away the sharp red tones.