Direct sunlight always flattens the colors of flowers and takes away their smoothness and soothing feeling... why can't you choose another time of the day, please???
I think the light is lovely and gives definition to the shape of the petals. Nicely balanced composition too.
Nice effort, just needs a touch of processing to give some detail to the highlighted areas.
Nice Rose Brian, all it needs is a bif of PP
You did not really beat that rose to bring out its beauty, did you...?
I'd say the timing of the shot is probably the biggest issue you need to consider next time. The lighting looks quite harsh and that is not going to help bring out the beauty of the rose. "Golden Hour" lighting or diffuse lighting on an overcast day would have given you a more subtlety lit subject to work with.