Welcome to OOTB, Bill! This is a very dramatic image and I love the almost metallic look of the tulip. I tried bringing up some of the darker areas of the tulip just to see if any of the detail was there to bring out a bit more but there wasn't much to work with. I like what you have here but think a slightly more open exposure would have been nice, too - allowing us a hint of what is lurking in the darker areas of the tulip.
Bill, Nice dramatic effect. I like the darkness within the image as I don't feel I need to see the entire flower to get the feel.:) I think it could go lighter also for another look.
Thanks for the comments - my wife wanted me to submit "the lighter version" which I have - just as some of you suggested BUT I stuck with the darker one - could go either way - the light is natural as this was shot outside - I wanted to showcase the rain drops as this shot is from a series of 50 or so "if I were a raindrop" series - maybe I'll post another --
really enjoy the comments on this forum - not so many "oh I like this"