(If the background has been replaced, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Interesting image, David. The 400 mm worked pretty well and your focus is in a good spot. I do think this would work better if the flower were straightened and you used a tighter crop with the stamens centered horizontally. The yellows in the center strike me as being the focus of this image and I think they need just enough purple to set them off while the greens seem to be a distracting element.
David, I have what looks to be the same hybrid blooming. I find Iris very hard to photograph as picking what to emphasize is a challenge. I like your focus on the lower petal and especially that “hairy caterpillar” on the lip (to use a highly technical term). The one thing I’d like to see here is the tip of that inner petal that above the lip.
I have a very similar iris and I looked at it today when I was out. I decided it was impossible!
David. Not a set rule, but in my view when you shoot flowers you either include it all (preferably with some environment) or zoom in so you just have a specific center of attention. I am attaching a sample of your image with the zoomed in theory as an example. Regardless, the iris is a a beauty and healthy medicine to keep our spirits up.
