Thanks to Kristen and Dennis for great suggestions. Here is the new crop I came up with: (and left reflection removed - I think I prefer that included, though)
How cool. The colors of the flower and the fish are so analogous that they almost seem on purpose. For me the reflections on the left don’t add much, but if you like them, that’s all that matters. They certainly don’t detract since the focus is clearly the flower and the fish. That said, possibly a tighter crop could emphasize that aspect - maybe to a more 16:9 sort of ratio. Terrific focus and I like the slight reflection of the water lily, too.
Excellent detail, Sandy, and I like your angle. The reflections on the left tend to take my attention away from the water lily and koi (which I am very grateful is gray instead of that hideous mottled orange and white). To me, the upper part of the reflections on the left pull my eye the most, so I’m thinking cropping from the top might do the trick and still keep the lower section of the reflection. As it is, the composition feels pretty left-heavy to me. If this were mine, I’d play with lots of crops, because I think there’s a totally gorgeous image (or maybe several) in there just waiting to be found.
Very nice!! And a very cooperative koi. I like the dark-but-not-dead-black BG – good positioning. I wonder about darkening the reflection in the UL while you’re at it, with this last version. It’s artist’s choice on the larger reflection – it does feel a bit empty without it. Is it too phony-looking at 50% opacity?? The blossom and its reflection are wonderful.
