Starburst

[Clactonian]

D2Xs, Sigma 150 f2.8

[cthermans]

Hello Mike, your picture is great I like the clarity of the one flower and the flowers in the background do look like star bursts. I do have a stigmatism and it takes me a moment to focus on the the flower that is in focus, but that is just me. Love the colours.

Cheri

[CRL]

Wow this is an amazing photo. The flowers really look like they are exploding in the background, and i really like the way that the single flower just pops right out at you.

[Clactonian]

Thanks for your kind comments.

[ktuli]

Mike,

If you can get to this again, what do you think about focusing on one of the fully opened flowers instead of the partially open one? I think it might be interesting to see what one of the open flowers looks like and then have additional exampled in the blurred background.

Just a thought.

Still a fantastic photo!

- Bill

[speedneeder]

Wow, great photo.
The flowers are so perfectly spaced. I thought at first I was looking at some sort of graphic. Very cool.

[Donald]

Mike

Just home after a couple of days away.

A beauty. Compositionally, it just couldn't get any better.

[pono]

I love the colors! That green is awesome with the purple. I like the shallow depth of field too. The shape of the petals are good, looks like a bomb.

[Katy Noelle]

Is this the first botanical shot that I've seen from you?

Mike, I've come back and looked at this several times and have a thought that I thought that I might think out loud and see what you think. The starbursts seem to have a lot of dynamism and energy to them but because they're lined up with the vertical lines, it seems to cut the energy a little. i.e. the vertical lines flow easily from one flower to the next. I wish.... I wish that the photo was rotated a bit so that it gave more of the typical star shape to it - meaning, the negative space between the bottom petals would be a triangle. Then, things - the flowers and the lines of their petals - wouldn't be so lined up and static and symmetrical but more "chaotic" - adding to the exploding energy of the flowers. I don't even know if that's possible. Also, I do wish that the purple was glowing a little bit more - but that's just my color bent. What do you think?

[Clactonian]

Is this the first botanical shot that I've seen from you?

To be honest I can't remember what I've posted before Katy.
Your suggested improvements are valid but I not sure they are achievable from the rubbish photo I started with (see below). I just started playing around for want of something to do and came up with the first effort, which I thought I'd post, having not been very active for a while. Had I taken some time and effort at the time of shooting, a better photo may have resulted.

[Katy Noelle]

Thanks, Mike, for responding. I had, actually, had the thought that it is, truthfully, very nice to see you post again.

Well, for starting with a "rubbish photo", you came up with something that's pretty catching. I think that the best part of taking the time to comment - even just to think about it - comes down to me thinking through things and learning; so, I appreciate your response.

and, may I drop in your ear.... please, keep posting.