Well, I worked on this a little last night as I was able and finished it up this morning.
Before I begin the judging, I have to mention what I noticed most (and mentioned several times in my comments) that while a flower can be shot so many “typical” ways, I asked for originality and boy, did you all deliver. EVERY entry was different from the others, which made my job a lot of fun. You ALL really delivered what I asked for, which were well thought-out photographs and not just casual snapshots. Thank you for your efforts and talents. You made it a pleasure to host the contest this week. You are all winners here and judging this week was very difficult.
@Snowlover: I have loved this photo since you posted it as the first entry this week.The quality of light and the white (daffodils?) against the black background really make the subject stand out. Add the angle of the flowers and this is really excellent photography.
@goldmac2006: Nice macro shot with a lot of interesting detail. The drops of water on the stamen of the flower especially adds to the subject. I thought I knew a fair amount about flowers from another life, but this thread has shown me I do not. Nice shot.
@StrollerEd: My favorite thing about this photo are the nice saturated colors of red and green (opposites on the color wheel) in this image. The red subject really stands out. The only change I may have made would to do a 16:9 crop to add interest and remove the top flower, which, being at a different angle, doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of the subject. Pretty shot, though.
@kendallm: This is overall a gorgeous photograph with great light. I love the way said light touches on the leaves of the trees, but I wish it somehow lit the red flowers in the bed at the bottom center since these are the subject of the theme. Overall, however, the image has all the interest I asked for and is an excellent photo with great light. (I’m all about the light!)
@chown33: This image certainly has all the elements I was hoping for in this challenge with the vertical bamboo (interesting in it’s own right) in the background and the bright foliage across the horizon of the photo in front. My only wish would be that the red leaves were just a bit sharper in focus as they seem a tad blurry to me. Overall, really great composition in this photograph. I appreciate the interesting note you added at the end; thank you for that.
@cjusk: A wonderful flower portrait. I love the green background bokeh in contrast to the purple plant (once again, I’m not familiar with the species) which is in excellent focus and both secondary colors on the color wheel. The bee adds definite interest and the way the light highlights the left tips of the flower instead of the whole subject is excellent. Very well done.
@mtbdudex: Wow! A really great wide angle shot from an interesting perspective. You composed this image extremely well from our subject, the wild flowers, in the left front (but not all the way across) up to the interesting shapes of the clouds in the sky ,it all comes together very well. Is this taken on your property? Certainly no IG snapshot here - this is very well executed.
@thirsty_monk: First of all, I love how this is SO different from the rest of the entries (in fact, ALL the entries have been so very different that it’s really made this week fun). Excellent macro shot. The color is crisp and clear and moves from sharp focus in the middle to more of a blur around the edges. I love the way the leaves angle and turn; they really compliment one another. Lovely macro image.
@Q-Dog: A single lovely yellow flower portrait with the blurry bright green background and a busy bee, along with the droplets of water, all to add to the overall composition of the image.Everything on the subject is crisp and clear making this an excellent example of a close-up flower portrait. Nice job.
@bondr006: More lovely yellow flowers with a great BIG bumblebee just out of the center of the frame for better flora composition. Once again, the background bokeh of blurred green makes the subject stand out in its sharp focus and detail. The bee shows just a touch of movement, which really adds interest as it implies the bee traveling from flower to flower. Overall, a great capture with all the correct elements to make it a special flower portrait.
@oblomow: I love this shot. It is most certainly NOT a typical flower “snapshot” which fits the bill for what I was after this week. With it’s wide-angle approach of the green field and the sky (which is really interesting as it looks as if a storm is approaching) to the required flowers peeking out of all the green, off-center enough to invoke further interest. The subtle light coming from the stormy sky is just enough to give the viewer that chilling feeling that a sudden drop in temperature on a summer day is about to arrive perhaps with a drop of rain or two. Very nice photography- I love it.
@Janichsan: Nice. Macro of what appears to be a variety bouquet of Tulips. I love how it’s different from the other photos with the focus sharpness on the yellow/orange leaf at the front left; sharp enough to imply the other Tulips have the same detail if only they’d been in focus too.The fact that they are NOT in focus, lends to the composition nicely. Very creative macro shot!
@arkitect: A gorgeous bouquet of yellow daffodils, this time enclosed in a vase (which I love in its originality from the others). The light is perfect, reflecting off the glass and the left front flowers and stems creating interest that the photo wouldn’t have had the entire vase of flowers been lit up. The focus is sharp, the colors are saturated, and the light is warm - all adding up to an impressive photograph of a vase of flowers. Exquisite.
@_timo_redux_: Another macro shot but this time it is of a bunch of flowerlets from a lilac tree/bush grouping. Very subtle, nice color and sharpness of the front lower flowerlet to draw your eye into the photo where the surrounding flowerlets are slightly off-focus, again being different enough to add interest to the overall composition. I love the soft, pastel palette in contrast to the other brighter colors of the other entries. Great shot.
@yey365: A double take with one flower in focus and one flower out of focus. Certainly not a typical “snapshot” so you nailed the assignment this week. I like the variety of color, I just wish the subject in focus wasn’t blown out as much as it is since you lost some of the nice detail because of this, but overall, a nice photograph.
@someoldguy: This looks like the blossom on a tree branch coming up in the middle of the shot shouting “See me! See me!”
😉 It is very pretty in its white starkness and the way the light casts interesting shadows on the leaves of the subject. The out of focus background bokeh behind the bloom suggests other parts of the tree for which the subject was shot from, which really makes the one in focus pop out in all its unique beauty. Very nice work.
@CooperBox: And yet again something completely different - the flora of a wheat field! I love this span of gold broken up by the out of focus green of the tree in the left background. I like how the stalks of grain are in sharp focus to the left of the frame, adding interest to the entire composition. You must have had to squat or kneel down to take this shot, which shows you put some serious thought into its entire composition and didn’t just “point and shoot.” Excellent job and so different!
@Fravin: Is this Indian Paintbrush as the subject? (Did I get ONE right? Yay!!
😀 ) Very bright and lovely colors, nice placement in the frame and the subject very much in focus. Yet again, another perspective on shooting flowers and I love how you’ve checked all the boxes yet it is so different from the rest. Well done; a lovely photo.
Again, I am truly blown away by the variety of each and every entry and the talent that I witness every weekly contest here at MR. Thank you all for entering, you really nailed what I was looking for!
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So, without further ado:
Third Place:
@arkitect
Second Place:
@Snowlover
First Place:
@oblomow
Thanks again and thank you for your patience with me in getting these results posted! Take it away,
@oblomow!
