I got fustrated

[chauncey]

This Trumpet Vine flower growing along the road proved to be too much of a PITA to shoot in situ.
I decided on a studio shoot instead...Stacking and merged...WB is based on a Passport.
B&W for comparison.

[Shadowman]

I like the star formation of the bulbs, nice capture of the textures.

[DanK]

Nice image of the flowers, but the image as a whole looks artificial, as if the flowers are detached and floating above the leaves. It looks like an image of the flowers was selected and then dropped onto the background. Is that what you did? I'm trying to figure out why that makes it look artificial. I have a hunch it might not be obvious if the background were something like plain black. I am guessing that what causes this, apart from the very sharp edge, is that there is no continuity with the background--nothing connecting the flowers to the leaves, dramatically different lighting, etc.

[chauncey]

Dan, I shot the image at f/3.5 while focused on the nearest portion of the closest flower,
then did a photo-stack of all the flowers.
Selected the stacked flowers and inserted them into the darkened f/3.5 image.
Here is the original stacked image...

[DanK]

interesting. Maybe the issue is just the abrupt fall-off in light. Not sure.

[Stagecoach]

I have to agree with Dan here Chauncey, artificial it looks to me as well. There are obvious areas that show clearly in the colour one where your selection has missed and also stacking artefacts seen.

[Geoff F]

I prefer this last colour image; although the B&W does nicely bring out the texture.

[IzzieK]

I have no idea what I prefer...I am just looking...

[JBW]

This Trumpet Vine flower growing along the road proved to be too much of a PITA to shoot in situ.
I decided on a studio shoot instead...Stacking and merged...WB is based on a Passport.
B&W for comparison.

It seems to me that you have either gone too far or not far enough. This shot has moved out of 'this is what is there' about half way into 'this is what I see'. Either choice would or could make a superb shot but stopping where you have just doesn't work. At least for me.