Peony
by korpen

Comment:
** Hello from the Critique Club **

Wow! That is my first impression when I saw this.

Composition
The fact that the flower has been isolated from any background is a very important aspect to the overall composition of this photo. The flower is centered but the break in the petals on the lower right is enough to add a sense of tension to the photo. One very nice aspect is the very subtle use of color against a neutral color flower. The overall purity in color is gently offset by yellow and then red.

Technical
Impressive use of light and HDR. The contrast really makes this photo appear to extend beyond the plane of the screen. I can feel the depth in the photo. Focus is key and overall this shot is nicely in focus. The lower petal is noticeably different in terms of focus, which tends to show after a longer view. I really like how the soft lighting brings out the water droplets without a "hot spot", attributed to the fact you did this on a heavily overcast day. It would be interesting to see which layers you used as this is a great example to teach HDR with. Perhaps an entry in "How did they do that" would be a nice supplement to this fantastic shot.

Symphony of colors
by pall

Comment:
** Hello from the Critique Club **

First, very nice shot.

Composition
The use of complementary colors is a very prominent aspect of the composition of this photograph: blue and orange, violet and green. The placement of the center of the flower on the lower right 1/3 point adds proportionality to the photo. The very shallow DOF isolates the flower center well. The only issue with the DOF is that the leftmost petal falls right in the middle of the DOF plane making it seem slightly out of focus, even though this is due to DOF. With the angle and lens it is understandable how difficult of a shot this was. I also do like the tricolor background: green to blue to violet as this gives a sense of movement and progression. This photo is very calming, and attribute obtained from the colors used.

Technical
Focus is sharp, which is one reason why this scored so high. Sharpness in floral macro shots is the most important technical objective. I noticed that you shot this on a bright sunny day. That was probably the most important aspect for lighting as flowers tend to look more vibrant in sunlight than artificial. With that said, I'm wondering if a little off camera fill light would have been helpful for the center of the flower. Finally, the DOF suggestions above would have been minimized by using a different angle, slightly higher and aimed down; I don't think the composition strength would have been diminished.

Again, very nice shot, certainly one worthy of its score and position.

Fire Lily
by indridistefans

Comment:
** Hello from the Critique Club **

My comments are broken down into technical and composition sections.

Composition
First, I like the way you concentrated on complementary colors. The bright orange/yellow is complemented well with the green background. This provides a bold, excited photograph, as intended by your subject and title "Fire Lily". You also have the flower along 1/3 lines which offers a pleasing proportion. The flower extends from the upper right to the lower left leaving the stamens along the right third. However, the angle from where you are shooting directs the opening of the flower in a parallel plane to the background, this tends to flatten the image.

If the flower was angled so that the stamens was pointed more toward the viewer it would add an additional dimensional plane, as well as expose more of the center of the flower.

You did a good job of isolating the flower from the background although a little more blur would help separate the flower even more.

Technical
The main problem is that any flower shot, especially ones with macros need to be sharp, razor sharp. The lens you were using was a 70 - 200 mm lens so I'm surprised you used macro tubes. Personally, I have not seen very good macro tubes, teleconverters, etc and I have always experienced image degradation from them.

When shooting, did you shoot this free hand? The best flower shots are performed on a tripod or monopod. If it is windy, a monopod may be better since you can move with more freedom than with a tripod.

At f/11, there should be enough DOF to get a sharp image. I have quite a few questions, so feel free to answer and I can comment more. How far were you from the subject? How much of the flower took up the viewfinder? How much did you crop?

If you have any questions or would like to discuss further, please feel free to send me a PM.

Vines
by Melethia

Comment:
I definitely like this; the textures are more prominent which really helps to add a lot of feeling to this photo.

Week 12
by Ken

Comment:
Good contrast enhancement.

Wiesbaden square
by Melethia

Comment:
Very nice accentuation!

Dandy
by Melethia

Comment:
While the color version was very nice, the conversion here really brings out the texture. I love it.

Howdy!
by Yo_Spiff

Comment:
Definately a good edit. The conversion really helps to isolate the subject whereas in the original, she blended in.

Autoscopy
by Ecce_Signum

Comment:
This is STILL freaking me out, now I have to see it on the front page....congrats on the ribbon. It was one of my top 3. Can't wait to hear the technique.

Little Billy
by kandykarml

Comment:
I voted. I can't believe this got 42nd. This was my top, followed by the ribbons.