Interesting treatment, Douglas.
Images of flowers in B&W always challenge me in surprising ways because I'm looking for color that isn't there.
I like the shape and soft focus of the first image, and the zany stem in the second amuses me.
Charlie
I prefer the second shot also. I like the processing better. It shows much better detail in the petals. The white petals in the first seem just a tad too hot and have lost detail, and I agree the crop is a bit tight.
Orchids are tough to shoot and get a good balance. The first one is a little hot for my taste and the lack of a stem leaves them floating. In #2 you got much better detail on the leading bloom, and an interesting composition. I like where it's going, so for me, diffuse the light and shoot #2 again and see where it leads!
Thanks to all for taking the time to comment.
Greg, The light was diffused through window with overhang and complete cloud cover. In the first I processed it for the creamy appearance, guess I need to rethink that, the detail is there in the raw file. Originally I had blacked out the stem completely on the first, but decided I liked it better with it included.
Douglas
