Here's another view of the Columbine plants I photographed at the Botanical garden last week. They were outside and there was a soft breeze and side lighting - I think that's what helped the Bg blur so nicely.
Canon 40D, EF 100mm f/2.8 macro
f3.2 @ 1/2500th, ISO 200 (Yes, you read that right. It was a little gusty so I left the ss high)
Manual mode, pattern metering, Daylight WB, handheld
Very nice flower and image Julie, for my taste a bit darker or more saturated would be better but that's just a personal feeling. Agree with Denise about the dark spot on bottom.
When I first saw the photo, I was thinking the DOF is too narrow, but after looking again, and again...I've got the feeling that it is right on, and that this photo is a very appealing one! I really like it very much!:)
The colors in this image are outstanding! I just love them. The stamens are in focus, providing a grounding point for all the wonderful movement. I like the position of the flower looking up--unusual for a Columbine. I see what others mean about the dark spot at the bottom. But, what distracted me was the pink on the right frame, about 1/2 way down. Very nice.