flower in situ

[chauncey]

Don't do this often but wanted to try the light just before a storm...got a little wet though.

[Stagecoach]

Not sure what you attempted to do here William but for me it's all wrong.

You have achieved getting all the stamens in focus but the long one extending further out looks totally out of place due to its end being OOF. All I can assume is that you have undertaken some form of stacking that has left such areas as the left side petal edge looking bodged along with other artifacts throughout.

Why did you simply not put the camera on a tripod, focussed so that the end of the 'long' stamen (whatever) was in focus along with some of the others by control of DoF by aperture press the shutter and spend two minutes on PP work to produce an image that would have been of high IQ and beauty?

Grahame

[bnnrcn]

Hi Boyer All I want to say is that I like the strong colors in this image so it might worth trying to shoot again considering the focus issue.

[JBW]

Don't do this often but wanted to try the light just before a storm...got a little wet though.

taking the literal sense of your title I have to say the light that contributed to these colours was fantastic light. Focus, cropping, etc. maybe not so great but the colours are terrific.

[IzzieK]

Not critiquing...I like the colour...and the texture...

[LocalHero1953]

I like the colours and texture also. Focus is always the challenge in macro shots because (a) you want a narrow DOF to bring out the subject and (b) it is only too easy to leave one element annoyingly OOF, as here. A pair of long sharp scissors would have helped

[Mark von Kanel]

yeh it needs work but hand held in a hurry, not so bad, and great texture and colour.

[chauncey]

Not sure what you attempted to do here William but for me it's all wrong

The whole thing was an exercise in bad judgment...3 miles from home on a 6 MPH scooter when thunderclouds pop up, hurry the shot and try to get home before the rain...almost made it.
Local radar failed me!

Colors are nice though.

[DanK]

The colors and lighting are nice, and I think the framing is OK, although a little too tight. The problem is of course DOF. This perspective makes that particularly difficult. Large OOF petals in the foreground often detract--they sometimes are even a little unsettling--even even while OOF petals in the background are often just fine. I don't know why that it is, but it is a criticism I have received before, and I think it's right. I often try to find perspectives that minimize this.

[Wavelength]

The colors are simply awesome. As a whole i find it cool ...

[David547]

Flowers are not just about the petals but about the leaves too. Using a creative eye, carefully pick out the fine details and repetitive patterns you can see. Use a macro lens to get the best magnification. You can use a ringlight flash to add contrast to the image, but make sure there is no blur or camera shake - a common problem with extremely close up images.