A second attempt

[MillennialDusk]

Took some feedback out to the field with me, and tried it again. A mere three days later and already the plant looks quite different. One spot of damage came from nowhere and had to be dealt with.

I must say that I'm happier with the result, and I was well pleased before. The crop, I think, is pretty close to the final version of the first one. The focus is much better in my opinion, and the exposure seems to be a bit better as well. I accidentally clicked the b&w button in LR, and wasn't entire unhappy with the result, so I also tried a B&W conversion. Thank you in advance for any feedback or comments.

Final Image


My attempt at B&W conversion

[Geoff F]

Yes that is a lot better.

I always think of flower photographs as being portraits which need just as much care as doing a formal portrait of a person.

The B&W could work but I think you need to create a little bit more contrast. It is a fairly complex bit of editing to get everything looking perfect; a lot more effort is required than just clicking the 'create monochrome' button. Working on individual colour channels can produce some excellent results - eventually.

Sometimes I use the Auto setting to point me in the right direction then do my own editing tweaks based on that starting point.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I think the problem I have with this image is there isn't enough definition of the pink part of the flower so it ends up looking fuzzy, at least on my monitor. I have this same problem photographing the succulents we have in our garden too.
The purple tips of the flower petals look fine, but the newer petals in the center lack a certain definition.
Just trying to be helpful.
What are the specs of shutter/ap/focal length etc?

[MillennialDusk]

Yes that is a lot better.

I always think of flower photographs as being portraits which need just as much care as doing a formal portrait of a person.

The B&W could work but I think you need to create a little bit more contrast. It is a fairly complex bit of editing to get everything looking perfect; a lot more effort is required than just clicking the 'create monochrome' button. Working on individual colour channels can produce some excellent results - eventually.

Sometimes I use the Auto setting to point me in the right direction then do my own editing tweaks based on that starting point.

Thanks, Geoff. The B&W was just a quick diversion before I reined in my attention issues. I did spend some time on it, but mostly abandoned it to focus on finishing the other. (If you notice, I found and edited a decaying part of a leaf on the bottom left after I abandoned the B&W.) I may spend a little bit more time trying to get the contrast the way that I want it to be. I might like to try some split toning too.

I think the problem I have with this image is there isn't enough definition of the pink part of the flower so it ends up looking fuzzy, at least on my monitor. I have this same problem photographing the succulents we have in our garden too.
The purple tips of the flower petals look fine, but the newer petals in the center lack a certain definition.
Just trying to be helpful.
What are the specs of shutter/ap/focal length etc?

I can see what you are talking about, Alan. It's not so much fuzzy to me, as much as there's just a lack of definition between the petals. I fear that this may be an issue with the exposure or my technique when shooting. I've included an output from the raw file with no edits (save the crop), though, just in case the problem is with my editing (maybe over saturation?). Shot at ISO 400, 40 mm, f/7.1, 1/80 sec in shaded natural light. Thanks for the feedback!

Original(Unedited)

[Wavelength]

The violet shoot out of flowers have added some additional beauty to the image; i have a feeling that some more space is needed above for a better balance

[MillennialDusk]

The violet shoot out of flowers have added some additional beauty to the image; i have a feeling that some more space is needed above for a better balance

Thanks! The crop on this one was quite a challenge for me, though I agree with the wish for more space at the top. I think that I've settled on this one as the best, though, as above the flower there's a little too much going on that's only hinted at in the bright lines visible in the top of the frame here.