Need help with this....

[mike1187]

Adding a slight seperation between the pine cone and the tree in the background might help keep them from competing so much. If possible, bluring the background more would help too.

[DPphotographer]

Thanks forthe replies. I agree, perhaps a pine-tree would be a better back-ground. Unfortunately, there wasn't actually a pine tree around. I actually brought the pine cone from a different location to use as a prop.

Here is my exif data:
Nikon coolpix L100
ISO-80
f/3.5
exposure- 1/593 sec

[Sterling]

I really like the capture of the pine cone and the grass - excellent clarity and colour. But I agree with the earlier comments about the cone and the tree being too similar in colour. IMO, the cone is the star of this shot and the tree needs to fade away into the background more so it doesn't compete for attention. Either using a lens and aperture that will give you a much more blurred background or reshooting in front of a darker background would do the trick.

Oh yes, and do straighten the horizon.

[whalebone]

This is really cool. Composition and lighting is good.
Was the cone lit using flash?
It looks to me (although it could be my monitor) that the cone has been oversharpened - please correct me if not.
Also, I find the grass to the left of the cone slightly distracting (one of the reasons I though it may have been hit with a flash), as it looks slightly grayish. Perhaps boost the green here, or clone (again this is pretty minor and indeed my be my monitor).
Well done.