Flowers

I love this photo. It's different to most flower photos we see, it's unique and overall a real eye-catcher. To be honest, I don't know exactly how you have achieved it, the intrigue of which adds to the beauty of it for me. The flame-like shapes and colours of the petals and stamens are warm yet bright, strong yet delicate, fierce yet gentle. I think this really is a fabulous photo and would love to see more in a series.

I think this is a beautiful image, stunning in its simplicity. The colours are gentle and calming. By putting the main subject on the intersection of the left and lower thirds you have created balance aesthetically, leaving space in the top right-hand corner, but without the feel of wasted space within the image. Your use of aperture to blur the background, and focussing on the centre of the flower brings the viewer's gaze to the most important part of the photo, and it remains there, with no distractions from other parts of the image. I can imagine this printed as a canvas on someone's wall.

It is brilliant to get a different perspective when photographing flowers. By getting down low you are able to use the sky as a backdrop and you chose a great day with the blue sky and fluffy clouds. By looking up at the flowers you make them seem more powerful, by now emphasising their height. I am a little distracted by the sun, and feel this photo would benefit from waiting for the cloud to move, or by cropping out the sun - the red against the blue sky would be enough for me.

I really wish the ant was in focus! It is always hard to get really crisp images when working so closely, but if this photo was sharp it would be amazing. The composition is great, and even the position of the ant is super (and that you would have little control over). The colours of this photo are magnificent - not too many to be distracting and all complementing each other. I really hope you can recreate this again in focus!

I love the simplicity of this photo. The range of colours is incredibly small, but I think it's wonderful how you have let the flower stand out. Despite the similarity in colour the flower is still easily seen. The viewer is easily drawn to the flower and their gaze is not distracted. The flower itself is perfect, without blemishes or marks. The composition is lovely, with the flower being placed on the right-hand third line. There is a calmness and tranquility to this image.

This is a beautifully simple image. I like the addition of the border, although I think it would be nicer if it didn't blend into the petal on the left-hand side. The black backdrop allows the flower to stand out and be seen in all its beauty, whilst the even lighting and perfect exposure allows detail to be seen in the petals. The story behind the image is also beautiful and I think this is a stunning tribute to your brother - perhaps you could consider selling photos as well as seeds for the charity.

As a general rule I dislike water droplets in flower photos, however the way you have used them to reflect the flowers here is brilliant. I feel that I want to get closer to them though, perhaps by moving the stem down within the frame or copping in to just include the two right-hand droplets. At the moment it is possible to make out the flower in the background, but I don't think this is necessary - I would rather you filled the frame with the stem and droplets.

Congratulations! I think this photo is stunning. These are incredibly difficult flowers to photograph well due to the fineness and number of petals, so you don't often see such success. The flower feels alive with light, and the patterns in the backdrop feel like a continuation of the light from the flower as it delicately moves in the wind. The exposure, colours and brightness are just right, making the image feel fresh, despite the dark areas. The two-tone background works well for me too.

I think by having the two flowers (especially one of the front and one of the back) the viewer is constantly looking between the two, and therefore their gaze does not fall and rest on one spot. In this case I would prefer to see two separate images so one can give each flower the attention it deserves. The black background and the lighting allows the flowers to stand out in all their glory. I would refrain from spraying them with water, as I find it unnessasary and distracting from the beauty of the flower. Keep it simple.

It is so refreshing to see a photographer doing something different when it comes to photographing flowers, and I love your idea. I do, however, feel there is just too much wallpaper in the image - I think you have wasted half of the photo. I think this would benefit from getting closer or cropping. It might be interesting to repeat this setup outside, using greenery or a blue sky as the backdrop. Small subtle changes will have an enormous impact on this image, and I hope you use this as a starting point. Continue with your idea, but be aware of the colours of the pegs, string and backdrop - keep changing until you find the perfect combination.

This is a perfect flower, with extraordinary colours. The viewer is drawn straight to the centre of the flower, but I find the stray bits of yellow rather distracting. I know this is reality, but I think this would benefit greatly from cleaning the flower, either with a cotton bud before you shoot or with post-production afterwards. The background is a little distracting, because of the variety of colours - I think if the background was more simple in terms of colours, and the flower clean, this would be an incredibly striking image.

This is a lovely image. The combination of colours is beautiful, the grey background lends itself well to the delicate flowers, giving an overall calmness to the photo. I like the arrangement of the group of flowers, but I would like to see the flowers cleaned; as the viewer I am distracted by the black flecks - you could use a cotton bud before or photoshop afterwards. It is important to choose each flower carefully as any blemish or imperfection is highlighted in a photo.

This is a really interesting photo. It is great to see the horizon is straight - so many photos are ruined because the horizon is wonky. The colours are fabulous too, with the darker pink and yellow stripes in just the right place. It's great to see a nice blue sky which complements the colours of the flowers. My one complaint though would be the fact that the church feels a little squashed - I know the photo is predominantly about the flowers, but I think a little extra space above the church would make it feel more balanced.

The contrast of colours works brilliantly in this photo, with the pink really standing out against the green. The use of aperture to blur the background works well too, creating a neutral non-distracting background. The viewer is drawn straight to the centre of the flower, but then, I feel, their gaze drops to the lower part of the photo. I find looking between the two parts of the photo a little distracting as I believe a brilliant photo should hold the viewer's gaze without being drawn to another part.

It is great to see such close-up work that is also in focus. So many potentially great images are ruined because they are not sharp, but this is spot-on. Generally I am not a fan of water droplets on flowers, but I think the position of it here adds something to the image. I don't think that the colour of the background enhances the image in any way - I appreciate it was probably just what was there but you could consider moving the flower or adding your own background to make the flower stand out more.

I love the delicacy of this image. The colours in the background work well against the colours of the flower. The added textures have created a look reminiscent of an old treasured map or artwork, giving more importance to the flower and the image. Despite the flower fading and being almost past its 'use by date' you have used its natural drooping and open petals to your advantage, creating beauty where others may not see it. Overall, I really like this photo.

I love the perspective of this photo, and think it's a great idea to shoot from low down and to use the sky as a backdrop, but I think this image would benefit from a glorious blue sky to help the flower stand out. These flowers are incredibly difficult to photograph - the fineness of the leaves make focussing difficult, whilst the number of them leads to quite a busy image. Therefore I think a less busy background would also have helped keep the viewer's attention on the flower.