Calla Lily (+repost)

Very graceful and elegant! Lov e the subtle lines and softness.
IMO, the black border is too stark. I'd suggest maybe a thin black border, then a pink line, then another thin line..kind of like this:
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=173149&CGISESSID=f8a566218cf0fa9d9bddfaeabefb6808&u=10967

Sandy

Derek, Our Calla bulbs are just about coming alive - not sure we'll have flowers, but I am eagerly waiting to shoot my first Calla. This is a nice portrait of the Calla - sharp enough and soft enough too.

To my eyes (not a critique by any means) removing generously from the top to stop at half of the top opening (to concentrate only on the flutes, curves etc) makes for a solid photo also.

My suggestion for the frame would be a 1 pixel black, followed by a pixel or two of white and then a border of 2-5 pixels of black again.

A very nice calla indeed Derek. The BG works very well witht he bloom. Don't have any great suggestions for the frame other than to try what has been suggested or try a frame with a complimentary colour in it.

Just the right balance of softness and detail in the textures Derek. I also like the bg for it very much. I would try some of the other framing suggestions that have been made. It's a beautiful rendition of the flower.

pat

Derek: The image is terrific so I'm not concerned much with the frame. Perhaps it is a little heavy but so it goes. I do like the other suggestions. I especially like the color palette and your BG. Very well done.>=))>

Beautiful! Great job!

I got your email on my poppy. I do like the lighter version as well :)

Wonderful use of color. Love the bg and the capture.

Thanks for all the feedback, it's much appreciated! I played around with a few different options for the frame, and here is the one I prefered from what I tried. Decided I liked a little less heavy-handed approach. This doesnt seem as difficult with a black BG, I guess I need to work with colored BGs more!

Thanks again!

Derek:
This is a fabulous take on a Calla. The frame on the repost is more elegant. Well done.

PS: Calla is also one of Mapplethorpe's favorite flowers and his take of them are almost sensual! (described as foreskin and erect spadix by Patti Smith)

I like the reposted framing more than the black bg. I'm a big fan of drop shadows for web presentation to set it off from the screen. Excellent bg to tie this together. Wonderfully done!

Beautiful! and so elegant. I enjoy how the border in the 2nd picture works with this. Really nice!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

A wonderfully textured image, Derek, with nice variations in sharp and soft and superb colouring. The composition is simple - and that, I think, is just right for this flower. Definitely prefer the frame in the repost.