Stuck in B&W

[Plumcrak]

A while back somebody, I can't remember who, posted some shots of some thorn covered stems. Well, as I was trimming back some plants today I thought of those shots as I got to trimming the roses. Well here is my take on the rose stems...I did not intend to duplicate the shots from the previous post(I really don't remember too much about them except for the fact that I liked them) but here is my take on the rose stems.

C&C most welcomed.

1.

2.

3.

4.

[Donald]

I think these are wonderful studies. The only thing I question is the almost 'glossy' look on the stems. It makes them seem as if they've been varnished and I'm not sure that shows them off in the best way. But interested to read other views.

[Plumcrak]

Donald, thanks for your comments. I do agree with you on the glossy look but I will say for a fact that the stems have not been varnished. I think I am going to re-shoot this with different lighting. I think a lot of the glossy look came from some hard lights. The stems themselves are kinda glossy though.

Cheers

[Plumcrak]

Reworked one of the shots to try and get it a little less "glossy".
What do you think??

[pnodrog]

My preference is the first one. You could try using a polarizing filter to reduce the gloss look.