Bokeh!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/...fe1b9643_o.jpg:rolleyes:

C&C would be appreciated.

I like that bokeh effect with the little circular light flarey bits. I sometimes get it myself, but I'm never sure how! I think the flower in the foreground needs more light on it. You probably needed some flash on it. But the bokeh I like.

You set the bar so high with 'Veins', that anything else in this sort of style (close up vegetation with out-of-focus background) is going to struggle to compete. Like Rob, I think the top of the petal that is facing us needs a little light to lift it. But, in my opinion, it demonstrates (which I've said before) your seemingly 'built-in' ability to see and compose an image.

Hi Carol,

I agree with Donald, Veins addresses many shortcomings we see here.

That said, I think with some extensive PP; masking, burning and dogy, LCE, maybe even noise reduction, this could be improved, but it still won't be as good as Veins.

I can't see any EXIF data, how was it shot?
I can see it is backlit, was there fill flash (just not enough)?

Regards,

Hi, Carol;

Was the idea to have a flower that's a bit past its prime? Or is the folding the normal structure of the flower? If it's to show the flower that's a bit wilted, maybe a bit of harsh light, with the bokeh you have, would tell the story better. If the main idea was to experiment with bokeh, my comment is mostly in agreement with Rob: the overlapping circles work well.

Cheers,
Rick