What would you do?

[chauncey]

[Mike Buckley]

I like the colors and this is probably the best use of light to display the texture of the petals compared to your other somewhat similar images. Well done in that respect!

Perhaps the more important question at least as I see this image is what would I not do? I wouldn't use such fragmented elements and I wouldn't cut off the petal located near the center of the image.

[Stagecoach]

What would I do?

I would get the gardener to stop using the hedge trimmer so close to my prize orchids

[FrankMi]

Hi William, perhaps it is easier to say what I might not do. If you are going to take a well recognized object and sort of toss it up into the air, you create a form of abstract. By cutting off the stems, the flowers take on a 'bits and pieces' view. Once treated like this, however, the beauty of the abstract is in the pattern the set of objects takes, much more so than the objects themselves. So far, so good. I think that the sharp cut edge on the flower pedal cuts off (so to speak), the abstract and brings it back to the individual blossoms, but the sharp edge also takes away from the natural beauty of the flowers.

I would try the abstract again without the cut off blossom and strive for a pleasing composition of the pattern in the elements. You could also experiment with just the blossoms without the cut stems and see if you like that more simplistic pattern.

Hope this helps!

[Shadowman]

I would rotate the image and see if it still has the same appeal.

[IzzieK]

I would -- remove the stems and pull the flowers together to make a bouquet.

[chauncey]

Prize Orchids, I think not...I buy them at the grocery store for $10, with a photographic life expectancy
of two weeks because I haven't figured out how to care for them. They are cheap subjects though.

I've been trying to figure out how to make an arrangement from these 6 selected images...
maybe something like this spiral shape???

[Mike Buckley]

Everything about the second one works well for me except that, to my limited experience, blossoms toward the end would not be open before the upper blossom has opened.

[chauncey]

Had to go look at my plants Mike, doesn't seem to be any relationship in blooms/buds.
Might you suggest a better shape/crop/whatever?

[Mike Buckley]

Might you suggest a better shape/crop/whatever?

Nope. As I mentioned, everything about those aspects of the photo, especially the "whatever" , works really well for me.

[deetheturk]

This image works for me Chauncey, very nice

David

[bnnrcn]

#2 is really nice, I like the composition and colors very much

[Shadowman]

You've got a bit of a golden spiral in the second image.

http://io9.com/5985588/15-uncanny-ex...atio-in-nature

[chauncey]

You've got a bit of a golden spiral in the second image.

That's kinda what I was going for John, while being subtle about it...at least someone noticed.
Thanks for the kudos folks.

[DanK]

The second image works well for me. The first not at all--it looks artificial and chopped up.

[Barnwell]

I would enlarge the second photo and have it framed. It looks great.

[dennybeall]

Like the second much, much better. It was more real. Guess I'm old school so I want the flowers to be represented as they are in real life. The colors are nice and clarity is well done. Technically a nice photo.
I presumed photo #2 is actually Photo #1 before you cut the elements apart with Photoshop.......to make Photo #1

[chauncey]

That first image represents each flower shot, with which I thought was an interesting perspective, then assembled in the resulting image. Am asking if anyone could come up with a more pleasing arrangement?

[mugge]

William, I do like the white petals, perhaps you could have softened the purple haze (no pun intended) a tad and also loose some of the petals. Hope this helps.