Nature isn't perfect

[ST1]

I didn't arrange these flowers (I did grow them) I leave that to SWMBO. Making my first tea of the day this morning, I just thought they would make a reasonable still life subject before they ended up in the recycling bin.
No special lighting just that coming through the kitchen window, a piece of black card behind and that's it. Hand held shooting along the kitchen worktop, elbows creating some stability.
Can you spot the thistle?

[Rent]

yes I can see the thistle
Nice Roy

[Shadowman]

Nicely composed.

[Wavelength]

First of all let me congratulate you for maintaining a garden of such wonderful flowers; ...and your secondary outcome of this photograph is so lovely. You can be proud about both!!!

[DigitalScape]

Very nice image, Peter - nice vibrant colors.

[Geoff F]

Yes, a good composition which has been photographed well.

[ST1]

Thanks everyone for taking time to look and comment, much appreciated.

[bnnrcn]

A beauty

[ST1]

A beauty

Thanks Binnur

[IzzieK]

Very pretty..you have quite a variety there, Peter...

[Mike Buckley]

Such a nice photo at a glance and even more so after taking the time to examine the details. You mention that there is no special lighting (only sunlight coming through the kitchen window), whereas I would argue that the quality of that lighting is indeed very special. If you had used a background such as high-quality black velvet, it would have probably absorbed all light and the enjoyable tonal variation in your background would have been eliminated. There is a very tiny bright spot in the bottom right corner of the image that you might want to zap. There is just one flower at least when displayed at the size provided here, the purple one in the rear, that is not quite in focus; I would prefer either for more flowers to be out of focus just a tad or for that one to be in focus like all of the others, probably the latter. You mentioned that you used a black card behind the subject but it appears to me that the background and tabletop are a single sheet. Please clarify the details of your background and tabletop.

[John 2]

Not normally my cup of tea Peter but that's a well made image (note the new ling ).

[ST1]

Such a nice photo at a glance and even more so after taking the time to examine the details. You mention that there is no special lighting (only sunlight coming through the kitchen window), whereas I would argue that the quality of that lighting is indeed very special. If you had used a background such as high-quality black velvet, it would have probably absorbed all light and the enjoyable tonal variation in your background would have been eliminated. There is a very tiny bright spot in the bottom right corner of the image that you might want to zap. There is just one flower at least when displayed at the size provided here, the purple one in the rear, that is not quite in focus; I would prefer either for more flowers to be out of focus just a tad or for that one to be in focus like all of the others, probably the latter. You mentioned that you used a black card behind the subject but it appears to me that the background and tabletop are a single sheet. Please clarify the details of your background and tabletop.

Mike having looked at the series of images that I made that morning, your observation regarding the tabletop/background are correct I had the vase standing on the bottom edge of the black card, with the card (Background) supported at its rear to form an infinity (ISH) curve. You should be able to see the direction of the natural light coming through from the window I can see a lighter diagonal area to the bottom right of the vase. The angle of that lighter area follows that of the reflected light at the bottom right of the vase. The subject and background were positioned just beyond the window edge, hence the way the light is falling on the card that the vase is standing on, the worktop is approximately six inches below the internal windowsill height.
Thanks for spotting the bright spot I hadn't noticed it previously. Having looked at the image proceeding this one I had inadvertently included a small strip of the kitchen worktop in the frame. Then I recomposed for this image believing that I'd eliminated the worktop from the frame. With hindsight it may have been better had I allowed more of the card to form the base on which the vase stood. But I was also concious not to have the taller flowers protruding above the backdrop.

I can live with the out of focus sweet pea at the rear of the arrangement f8 on the 100mm prime didn't give sufficient DOF to include the wayward sweet pea. To be honest I hadn't noticed it until I read your response.

Thanks again for taking time to look and comment I really appreciate it.

[ST1]

Very pretty..you have quite a variety there, Peter...

Thanks Izzie, BTW Ive just been chuckling about your signature, not that I have a bald head you understand

[Mike Buckley]

I had the vase standing on the bottom edge of the black card, with the card (Background) supported at its rear to form an infinity (ISH) curve.

That makes perfect sense! The reason I was nearly certain that the tabletop and background are a single piece has to do with the shape of the shadow, which by the way is just lovely: it bends upward as what happens on a curve that transitions between the tabletop and background. If the tabletop and background had been separate, that shadow would have made an abrupt change of direction where the tabletop and background meet.