amateur in need of mentor

[gotbamboo]

Taken on September 24, 2011 at 6.32pm EDT (edit)
Posted to Flickr September 24, 2011 at 9.42PM EDT (edit)
Exif data
Camera Sony DSLR-A300
Exposure 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture f/5.6
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 320
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Auto, Did not fire


I did this hand held because my tri was a bit short I am very much an amateur with some goals to meet I like this shot but is there ways to enhance it with out losing its domestic look ( this was shot outside my neighbours house )

Thank you for your time
gotbamboo

[Tito87]

You could try sharpening it a bit,and see what happens.

[TNH]

I like the dark background. I agree with Tito, it could use some sharpening.

[samutsim]

The bud sticking through the petals toward the left is a little distracting to me.

[mrteacherdude]

I agree with TNH about the dark background as it contrasts well with the colors of the flower. The flower looks a bit soft and my mind is wanting to sharpen it, but I think that is because I am expecting to see the water droplets with sharp edges, and the flower with sharp edges. Ultimately though, I think the softness of the flower is agreeable (to me anyway) as it gives it a somewhat ethereal quality. The water droplets are nice to have there as they add another dimension of life to the photo.

My eyes stay within the flower for the most part, but can get pulled away by the other buds and stems in the periphery, and the one that is poking up between the two petals on the right. And somehow, the one on the lower left keeps looking like a little green hand to me I think the composition could be much stronger if those elements were removed, leaving only the flower on the dark background. If you're good with an appropriate photo editor, you can probably effectively clone most of the green stuff out since the background is so dark. If it were me, however, I would probably be afraid to try to try to clone out the one poking in between the petals; my cloning skills leave a lot to be desired at times. If I had the chance, I would more than likely try to reshoot the flower, or a similar one and try for the same conditions. But I would move or remove those elements before shooting.

[wgrube]

You could try a selective sharpening on the water drops, it's a little bit tricky. But I liked the picture the way it is, the colour contrast is great.

[gotbamboo]

here is one that i edited using some of your advise

[mrteacherdude]

Very nice! It looks very clean and simple to me. The water droplets on the petals give my eye some points of interest and can wander around, while the edges of the petals continually draw my eye back into the center of the flower. The dark background is effectively keeping me within the photo and contrasts very well with the subject.

There are still just a few shiny spots in the lower left portion of the photo that are a bit distracting though. These should be very easy to clone out of the photo.

Is this a different flower than your first post? Your original had a fair amount of yellow in the petals which appealed, to me anyway, quite a bit.

Looks great to me!