First real attempt at flower shots

[littlefish]

Stopped off at a friends house last week to snap a few shots of all the flowers in his garden. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked to (I tend to work very slowly with a new subject) because we had to leave to meet up with some other friends. However in the short time I was there these are the four shots I seem to like the best. I have never really made an attempt at flowers before so please let me know what I could have done to improve on them. Any input is appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

[jasony8]

I like the composition in all the shots, how you put focus onto one main flower in each shot. The colours in the shot are just amazing. My favorite would definitely be the first shot of the yellow flower with a colorfully dotted background.

TFS!

[gilbill]

I love the colors in the first photo! Absolutely beautiful!!
~ Debbie

[Tenzin'sMom]

What a wonderful first attempt at flowers, Mike! The colors are just gorgeous! I especially love the simplicity of the third one, and the way the color gradations and texture of the petals are so clear.

You might want to ask yourself the question, "What should be in this photo and what shouldn't?" For me, the lawn furniture in the last one distracts me from the yellow tulip (something that perhaps shouldn't be in the photo) and in the first one, it might help to see more of the tulip's stem (something that should be in the photo but isn't.) I find that asking myself that question before I push the shutter has helped my compositions.

[sgeary]

Great job on your first attempt. I would say that moving forward think about your depth of field espically in macro shots. You don't want the background to take away from the overall image. I like the first shot but for me the background is distracting...but that is sometimes a matter of personal taste.

[lauranette]

The colors in the first photo are absolutely amazing!

[windrider86]

I'd like to invite you to review the guidelines so you'll know, without a doubt, what should or should not be included within your posts. Thank you!!

[Lellie]

Originally Posted by littlefish

Stopped off at a friends house last week to snap a few shots of all the flowers in his garden. I didn't spend as much time as I would have liked to (I tend to work very slowly with a new subject) because we had to leave to meet up with some other friends. However in the short time I was there these are the four shots I seem to like the best. I have never really made an attempt at flowers before so please let me know what I could have done to improve on them. Any input is appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

Thanks for sharing. A nice, colourful shot that gladdens the heart to see it! The flower is sharply focussed, with good detail.
I would like to suggest firstly, that you crop the picture so you get the flower in the centre and also get rid of the fence / white highlights [which are distracting and pulling the eye away from the subject]. Secondly, that you try blurring the background a bit more if possible. There's lots of fun to had with flowers. Enjoy!

[gloson]

Beautiful composition, and nice bokeh! I agree with sgeary; you need to increase the DoF to make the background a little bit blurrier so that it is will not distract the viewer from the subject. And, I also think that the saturation is a little too high. Perhaps if you lower it, it would look better and more natural. :-)