flame on the water... try again hopefully right this time :)

[covimom]

I'm a newbie to photography beyond the point and shoot, as well as cropping / editing.
Please give me your opinion/suggestions, I'm looking forward to them. would you have gotten closer to the center of flower and less petals? I'm still learning about saturation ect.....
see link to before below
after

I did a auto fix as I'm learning there as well

before

IMG_0798 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
f/5
1/1000
ISO-100
focal length 74mm
this was shot from about 15 feet away.

Thank you in advance for your suggestions

[adunivan]

I am a newbie too so I won't be able to address the technical parts. I like your photo. I might have cropped just a tiny bit more from the bottom. The green leaf is not doing much for me. The flower itself is beautiful though.