A rose by any other name... Critique me please.

[Lumin Miner]

Just after some critique.
This is not a shot for an ad, or for any specific reason.
I was aiming to capture the beauty of this rose adequately.
This is straight out of the camera, un-processed.

I would like to know how I went with composition, lighting, subject positioning etc
Do you prefer the BW or colour?
What could I do better next time to improve such photo's?

Thanks for your time and critique.

Edit~ Slightly higher res version here, slightly better sharpness. http://mitchellmclean.daportfolio.com/gallery/176405#10

[Lumin Miner]

BW version.

[justin240]

I like the idea of the photo, but the composition and lighting doesn't do much for me. I think because your background is more lit than your subject, it takes away from the detail in the subject. Just my thoughts...

[Lumin Miner]

I like the idea of the photo, but the composition and lighting doesn't do much for me. I think because your background is more lit than your subject, it takes away from the detail in the subject. Just my thoughts...

Interesting. I tried increasing the foreground lighting but it resulted in the inner core, of the rose being illuminated and it "lost" the depth of the petals. Perhaps I should keep the foreground lighting as is, then drop the background to have the rose more illuminated.

[Grimlock]

Cool shot, for sure.

I want to let you know that the composition works nicely, IMO. And I think your lighting is great!

It's really a tough one between the color and BW. I personally like the colors here and hate to see them go, but the BW version seems sharper to me. (which is usually the case) I feel that the color version seems to be OOF. And I think the BW version just hides it well.
Although, it could be a saturation issue. It's hard to tell.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds. Sharp and color. Try toying with the saturation levels to get that crispness of the BW, while retaining the color. It may work out for you.

In any case, I would pick the BW in this scenario. Simply based off of sharpness.
Viewing a sharper image is always the difference to me.

Next time, try and nail the focus. Maybe pick a droplet to focus on and emphasize on that.

[Lumin Miner]

Cool shot, for sure.

I want to let you know that the composition works nicely, IMO. And I think your lighting is great!

It's really a tough one between the color and BW. I personally like the colors here and hate to see them go, but the BW version seems sharper to me. (which is usually the case) I feel that the color version seems to be OOF. And I think the BW version just hides it well.
Although, it could be a saturation issue. It's hard to tell.

I'd love to have the best of both worlds. Sharp and color. Try toying with the saturation levels to get that crispness of the BW, while retaining the color. It may work out for you.

In any case, I would pick the BW in this scenario. Simply based off of sharpness.
Viewing a sharper image is always the difference to me.

Next time, try and nail the focus. Maybe pick a droplet to focus on and emphasize on that.

Thanks!
I must say, I should have uploaded the large version, Jpg conversion and upload have just about killed the sharpness. In the original file most drops are in focus. But yes this version most seem not in focus... The rose is still opening, so I shall try again for a better shot..

Thanks for your critique, I too am a stickler for sharpness, this version does not impress me much...

[Grimlock]

I'm glad you brought that up. Because I often forget how much compression is a killer on the color red.

Well, hey if the color version is sharp enough, then go with it! :)

It's a good shot. Order up a print!

[Lumin Miner]

I'm glad you brought that up. Because I often forget how much compression is a killer on the color red.

Well, hey if the color version is sharp enough, then go with it! :)

It's a good shot. Order up a print!

"Good" is what I was aiming for. The more good shots I get, the closer I get to a great one. ;)