White Flower Bloom Progression

[adversarian]

I'm new to photography, having only really started last fall. I've fallen in love with macro photography, despite the limitations of my camera ( you can read about the specs of it here ). I'm determined to get the most out of what it can give me, regarding practical experience and improvements of artistic skill.

Generally I shoot in program mode, to encourage myself to learn more about the camera and play with it. I'm also new to digital art in general, so I'm still learning about post processing as well.

Anyway enough of my life story - I wanted to get critique on this photo. I loved the angle the second I noticed it - the progression from tiny bud to full blooming flower was really beautiful. What I want to get some advice on is the following, and more if you think of anything!

• Would it be a more pleasing shot if I edited it to give more contrast?
• How is the general composition of the shot?
• How is the depth of field? Should the leaves be less prominent?
• As a subject, are the flowers interesting enough or would it have been better with, say, a bug?
• What keeps this photo from being professional quality, regarding artistic skill?

And now that you know what I'm curious about, here's the photo itself:



Thanks!

[gdowden70]

Please make sure you read the rules for posting a photo.

Aside from that, keeping in mind I'm not a pro, I think it's an outstanding image. The only thing I can see at all is that the focus seems like it might be a bit soft on the main subject area. It's only a tiny bit and actually adds to the image for me but I was wondering whether or not it was intentional. The contrasting colors in the image are gorgeous. All in all an outstanding job, especially considering that it was done with a point and shoot.

[adversarian]

I thought I did everything right, according to the rules..? I couldn't find the EXIF data on the photo ( possible I didn't look in the right places ), even in the unedited image. But I gave what I could: camera specs. That was about it haha. ISO was auto, and it was using MF. I don't know much about camera lenses and lengths and all that.. I'm still learning >.>

And no, the blur wasn't intentional. I feel that the composition is highlighted by the blur there though, which is why I haven't retaken the shot. It makes the eyes move more readily down the white trail.

Thank you for the comments!

[maskedfan]

My only suggestion is to maybe flip the image horizontally. That way (for those who read left to right at any rate) the progression from buds to open flowers would perhaps be more obvious / natural
I like the shot though :-) (can't offer details on clarity etc. as my work monitor is less than brilliant!)
Sarah