My first Roseby
mphoinixComment by KaDi: Greetings from the Critique Club!
A beautiful flower in a lovely shade of pink. Detail well rendered. Isolated and centered subject. Size of image prevents full appreciation.
I think you chose a lovely subject to photograph. Flowers, especially roses, are easy to relate to the challenge subject of "delicate." However, common subjects often need exceptional presentation to score well in challenges.
The lighting is pleasing. It preserves the detail in the petals which is highly desirable. No extra shadows have been created by multiple light sources.
The composition is lacking, in my opinion. The subject is centered which gives the image the sense of "here it is, a rose" and not much more. I like the inclusion of leaves and thorns. The leaves provide a nice color contrast to the blossom. The sharp thorns contrast with the softness of the flower. But the fact that almost half the image is taken up with the foliage tends to give it as much importance as the blossom. If this subject were shot from above there might be as much of the foliage (or more) but it would then be a background framing the true subject. The blue and white background draws un-needed attention--I think you want to try to find plainer backgrounds, perhaps with less color, to reduce competition for attention of the eye.
It is difficult to tell, but it seems that the depth of field needs attention. The stem in the lower right-hand corner is out of focus in a way that seems unintentional, yet the background appears to be mostly in focus carrying the eye too far beyond the bloom.
Size of image: We can't ignore the commenters on this one as it is a proven way to lower your score in challenges. Definitely learn to get the maximum 640 pixels on the longer side of your entries as well as max out the file size as nearly to the 150kb allowed. (If you need help with this there are tutorials and forum threads on the topic and I would be willing to give you suggestions if you'd like to send my a private message.)
Overall a nice photo of a beautiful subject. Glad to see you mention that you took many shots of this rose--that is the best way to learn.
Keep shooting!
--Kadi
