Star Magnolia #2

Good as is. No nits!

Hi Ian, great detail in the flower center - point of focus is just right with lots of detail going into the core of the flower :-) ... its a tricky one with 'the odd bit' in such an image and its not a critic here but a suggestion for the future.  If you get a reflector (perhaps you have already?) (one side white/one side black), (actually from my perspective a 'must have' in the camera bag for floral/macro work ;-) ...), and you're shooting from a tripod, you can simply hold the reflector behind the flower ... ideal for such a situation - gives a processing option later anyway ... Cherry blossoms and the like give the same sort of issues when you start getting up close ;-) ... Another processing option would be to push and desaturate the green quite hard which would de-emphasize it quite a bit - Not issues, just some alternative suggestions.
Cheers, Mark

Ian: Intriguing comp. I go back and forth regarding the green patch and appreciate Mark's comments and suggestions. Overall I like the unconventionality of the image and the tension from the green. 2 thumbs up. >=))>

Very nice, Ian, though I prefer the previous version. The green space is distracting to me. I think Mark's suggestions re the green space are good ones. You could also try a combination of cropping from the top and/or cloning.

Ian, I was on holiday with my wife and I lost your beautiful magnolia flowers. I love the design of the petals; may be a bit of lower light could make it a bit clearer. For my this image is at the same excellent level of the previous one.