Granular Gardenby
BlackDotComment by ergo: Greetings from the Critique Club ;-)
The idea has lots of potential. The flowers are surprising when placed in the context of the Zen box garden, and that's something that will instantly grab a viewer's focus and attention.
The lighting is a bit of an issue here. It feels flat, and the tones don't flatter the colors of the flower, even when they're set against the white and black of the sand and the box. Bumping contrast might help this image a bit. The shine on the black rocks, as well as the deep shadow cast by the box's edge on the left side of the frame reduce the potential impact of the shot, I think.
The crop and/or perspective is also another potential improvement point. A different angling on the shot might improve the view, and a closer crop might add to the dramatic factor.
Lastly, focus...I feel that both the grains and flowers are missed a little bit, and there's an overall flatness, instead of sharpness, to the image. Sharpening with USM might have helped here.
Finally, I noticed you used a low iso and a fairly slow shutter. Perhaps bumping up the speed a bit would help control the focus.
Hope this has been constructive, and thanks for the submission.
Message edited by author 2005-06-07 15:54:39. 
Photographer found comment helpful.