Phalaenopsis Orchid
by Bud J

Comment:
CC: Great subject matter. In fact these look very similar to the flowers used in the third place finisher. The real difference between those two shots is in the background. When this shot opened, the first thing I saw was the checked table cloth in the background. Then I noticed the green leaves, after that I noticed the flowers, which I assume are the subject and then the wooden humming bird. The result is that the picture feels busy - I'm distracted from the subject by several things that don't feel like they belong or really add to the final result - you might try simplifying your arrangements ?

Yellow Baby Flowers with Hand
by amonteforte

Comment:
CC: Interesting subject choice here, and the hand takes it from being a straight nature to feeling as if it is a gardening shot. The focus feels a little bit soft, paticularly on some of the flowers in the foreground, but that could just be a bit of camera or hand shake.

Lakeside
by Gracious

Comment:
CC: This seems very contrasty/ sharp - I'm not sure if that is a result of your camera or not. I like the simple composition - although I do feel it is a bit reed heavy, and could do with some more water in the frame. This sort of shot can look absolutely stunning if taken around sunset, with the sky colours reflecting in the water behind. A good subject choice.

Easter Flowers
by Yomi

Comment:
CC: Great macro shot. Good use of filling the background with a complimentary scene, particularly the two other flowers that fill the top of the frame. DoF is good too - you've captured this flower well. I almost feel this is stuck somewhere between too close - to capture more background flowers, and not close enough, to really get in detail with the flower. This is from the fact that the rear flowers are both cropped by the edge of the frame. Good macro.

Tropical banana leaf
by xertion

Comment:
CC: A fantastic subject choice. Great framing to get this close. Wonderful lighting. Need to find a better/ less scrappy looking leaf though. This has wonderful potential if you can find the perfect subject with the same lighting. Also, I wonder if framing the spine not quite on the main diagonal would be more effective so that the shot has a 1/3rd one side/ 2/3rds the other side arrangement, rather than perfectly split the way you currently have it. Great ideas.

Virginia Swamp
by lionelm

Comment:
CC: Good eye to catch this abstract scene. I'm not sure that the slightly sickly green and yellow colours really help the composition a lot though. With the line and texture and pattern in this shot it seems like a great candididate for B&W treatment. Also, would be interesting to rotate it 180 degrees to see it branch out up into the scene - would look very impressionistic in that orientation. Good entry.

Spring Beauty Wildflowers
by kandyj

Comment:
CC: A good macro, but overall very dark. The background flower makes this feel upside down - did you try rotating this at all ? You've captured the colours in the petals really well, though I feel over all this is a bit underexposed as they whites have come out quite grey. The exposure compensation features of your camera could help with that if this was not intentional. Good entry.

Swirling Green
by timj351

Comment:
CC: I love this subject. Simply adore the patterns and colour and texture. Very dynamic and I like how you got close enough to fill beyond the edges of the frame with then non-focal point leaves. You've exposed it well, but it feels slightly flat - which could be this nasty monitor I'm looking at it on, or it could be slightly underexposed ? The overcast/ diffused lighting really brings out the features of the plant.

I wonder if a 45 degree rotation would move those brown patches of earth off center slightly and change how this feels ? It would be have been wonderful if the background could have been seamless and even lit slightly from behind to add some glow. Great shot.

Basidiomycota
by crabappl3

Comment:
CC: well congrats on the placing! You found a great non-flora subject, and took this at a good time. The light falling on the foreground head really sets it appart from the rest and you've used the DoF well to isolate it further. You might have been better filling the frame slightly more, and losing the 1cm or so of green border at the top, though that's marginal. The almost horizontal and light piece of grass in the background is a bit annoying. Great entry.

Forked Tongue
by sher

Comment:
CC Fantastic macro. Good lighting and colour choice, though it feels upside down to me. Have you tried looking at it rotated 180 degrees ? I also wonder if a more slanted composition would be a bit more dynamic. Perhaps with the ends of the stamen slightly more inside the picture frame, as they seem a bit cramped at the edges.