color preference - flower petal

[nicuRNmama]

Here are two versions of an image I took earlier this summer. The first is the image with "normal" colors. The second image is the petal at the same color/intensity as the 1st picture, with the background leaves somewhat faded. I'm wondering which image you prefer. And also - are the colors in the 1st too bright? Would the 2nd one be better if the color intensity of the petal matched that of the leaves?

Thanks for looking.

Nikon D5000
Nikkor 55-200mm Zoom
ISO 800
200mm
f/5.6
1/30
taken 6/11/11

[windrider86]

I personally like the first one with the vibrant colors

[TNH]

Originally Posted by windrider86

I personally like the first one with the vibrant colors

Agreed! I really like that one the best of the two. The colors don't look too bright at all, to me. They are both great, though.

[DanaLane]

I agree with the previous posters and I think the 1st image is my preference.

[nicuRNmama]

Thank you for looking and commenting everyone!

[dasmith232]

I by far preferred the first image.

For me, the first image is about color. The green and lavendar are close to being opposite colors for maximum contrast, or maximum impact. We expect to see lush greens in nature and deep colors in flowers (or petals), so nothing is unnatural about this. Seeing them superimposed in this way is (1) a surprise, and (2) high contrast color (for me, a good thing).

The second image is still good. For me, it's about light vs. dark. It probably wasn't intended but could have been about texture (leaf and veins vs. smooth petal) as well (maybe with a strong side light), in which case it could have been a nice B&W with either a green filter or purple to pull the shades of gray apart from each other. But, I don't assume that was ever intended.

[nicuRNmama]

Thank you DASmith232 for your comments - all things to think about to help me be more deliberate in my shooting and processing choices.

[mapgirl]

They are both lovely, but I prefer the second one. The delicate, pink petal seems so fragile yet so insistent against the moodiness of the dark leaves. For me, it's a more dramatic, even dynamic image.

[nicuRNmama]

Thanks mapgirl - the second one is my favorite, too. I like the prominence of the pink petal in that one. In the first one with the bright green it feels like the petal has too much competition.