One last little yellow flower left on this entire bush. She's robust, healthy, proud and oblivious. All the dried up husks appear to be envious and striving to reach out and quench her beauty for daring to stay in bloom so late in the season.
Taken with Canon 1DS-II, 85mm f/1.2L at f/1.2. Sharpening, levels adjustment and cropped in Photoshop. No other adjustments made.
I like this shot. Not sure about the optimal crop, but I agree with Bob. The image is not about the flower; its about finding vibrancy and life among the spent flowers. Both versions show, but Scott's does more: the spent ends appear to surround and almost bow to the brighter flower.I wonder if a bit of vignetting might work. Upper left adds little.
Thanks to everyone who has commented so far. My story, so to speak, in this picture is "The beauty of life juxtaposed with the threat of death". I felt the dried, dead buds were part of the story here. This image just makes me smile.
I think the problem with this shot is that your focus is not on the yellow flower but on some dead ones. It doesn't have enough texture, details also. I would re-shot it if that is possible maybe from another angle and focus on the yellow flower only.
The clarity and colors are exellent.
I prefer the 2nd crop, where the flower is less centered vertically.
This is a beautiful natural shot. However the flower is so bright that it looks like there was some PP (like selecting the flower and increase its brightness).
