Black and White Plants and Flowers

The first thing that struck me about this image was the level of tonality, from the black in the centre and working to the petal tips through various shades of grey. The detail of the lines in each petal guides the eye from the stamen across each petal to the beautifully blurred background. A fantastic capture.

At first glance I thought someone had submitted a black and white firework shot! The level of texture against the black background really is gorgeous. Couple that with the blurring of the stem, which leads the eye to the flower head creates a fantastic effect.