Thanks, @Dave_Douglass and @Keith_Flood ! For me, this one was all about the elegant shapes and color felt irrelevant, especially since the flower was white.
Awesome set of photos with many points of view on processing and composition alterations. Having the leaf intersecting with the edge of the LH side of the frame is essential and enables the eye to sweep up through the frame. Making the flower slightly brighter and tweaking up the contrast will certainly increase the impact of this photo. Very nice image and now you have to sift through all of those critiques…Jim
Beautiful work Diane. Removing the leaf improved the composition I think. It’s amazing how those folds in the neighboring leaf were added as a replacement when the leaf was removed.
The original poster added a revised version of their image.
Thanks, @Jim_Zablotny and @Igor_Doncov ! I’ve added what I hope is the final version. More contrast won’t work for me – I love where this is and the histogram shows steep walls on either side of the mid-tones, which would only get worse with contrast increase. For anyone interested, here is the original, which shows where the piece came from at the top to patch the removal of the leftmost lily pad. Pure good luck!
Regarding Revision 3:
What a stunner of an image Diane! Like the original, but the revision is better IMO. Good eye and nice capture.
An image that kept getting better with each revision, demonstrating the best of critique delivery and reception.
Thanks, @Steve_Buffington , and – wow! – thanks @Bill_Fach for the EP! What a wonderful surprise! I was delighted to find this one that stood out among many I shot that day, and truly enjoyed bringing out the hidden gem from the original scene. Yesterday I ordered a big print.
I’m late to the party Diane, but wanted to add my applause. Wonderful work, and congrats on the EP!
(Oh, and I’m an addict of tinting an image like this…)
Thanks, @John_Williams ! Yes – that works!! I didn’t think about it but I’ll see if I can get the idea lodged in my brain somewhere. (There must be some room, considering all the things that have vacated the premises.)
Outstanding !!! Perfect in B&W.. Congrats on the EP… Well Deserved !!!
Congrats on the EP Diane! I missed this one completely, like many others lately. I have really enjoyed seeing the image take shape from the original capture.
Thanks, @Gill_Vanderlip and @Glenys_Passier ! I feel like this image was a gift!

