Colour in Winter

[Nina]

Sometime it takes a little effort to find colour in nature this time of year. I took my macro lens a few hundred yards from my house and captured this Japonica.
WDYT?
Canon EOS 5D
1/60s f/8.0 at 100.0mm iso400 full exif

w_6525.jpg (454.26 KiB) Viewed 4900 times

[Mike Farley]

I am not sure aboyt this one, Nina. For me there is too much out of focus at top right and my instinctive reaction was to crop. I think the square format is partly to blame as placing the flowers/buds centrally does not lend itself to the composition. Placing them off centre then increases the area which is not in focus.

My crop is a rectangular format and the image flipped horizionantally as I feel that the main subject needs to be at bottom right. Having an out of focus area at top left is less critical as it is not an area where the eye tends to linger unless there is something to draw it back there.

[Nina]

I'm sorry for not responding to this before Mike. Looking at it coldly a good while after it was taken and posted I have to agree that your suggested approach works better. Thanks for your comments.

Just thought I'd try another two versions, WDYT?

w2_6525.jpg (450.66 KiB) Viewed 4830 times

w3_6525.jpg (486.46 KiB) Viewed 4828 times

[walterconquy]

NINA, I LIKE THE LEAD IN FROM THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER, IT GIVES A ZOOMING EFFECT NO MATTER ITS OUT OF FOCUS, THE FLOWER BECOMES MORE POWERFUL AS IT IS ABSOLUTELY SHARP. HAVING SAID THAT I LIKE THE SECOND SHOT SLIGHTLY BETTER. WALLY

[Nina]

NINA, I LIKE THE LEAD IN FROM THE TOP RIGHT HAND CORNER, IT GIVES A ZOOMING EFFECT NO MATTER ITS OUT OF FOCUS, THE FLOWER BECOMES MORE POWERFUL AS IT IS ABSOLUTELY SHARP. HAVING SAID THAT I LIKE THE SECOND SHOT SLIGHTLY BETTER. WALLY

Thanks for looking and commenting Wally. Not sure which one you like best is it W3-6525 ? I think my favorite is w2-6525, can't say why though!