Ode to Autumn Joy

Well, this looks like you are in mid-season form, Marylynne. Wonderful image. The bee looks great - excellent detail and exposure from the nice light. Really like the supporting sedum and the nice bg as well. The bee is just a bit pushed into the corner in this frame, but still a definite keeper.

So, I was surprised to click on the larger image and see a different, vertical image of this bee and flower. Not sure if you did that accidentally or on purpose. Anyway, I do like the vertical version a lot as well. I like the bee's position in the frame more in the vertical, but I think I prefer the exposure and color a bit more in the horizontal. Hard to chose between them as they are both excellent. Maybe that's why you posted both - you couldn't choose either? Sorry, I am not much of a help on picking one over the other but if you put a gun to my head and made me pick, it would probably be the vertical image.

Excellent detail on the bee. Good comp and colors. Nicely done!

Thanks, Scott and Barb. The vertical was an accident! I can recrop the square one to give the bee more room and/or recrop to vertical. It was a challenge to avoid cutting off a floret, but I can swing it with some rotation probably. As for the vertical one, the bee's body seemed less pleasing in that one, but perhaps it is more interesting? I'll keep tinkering with both.

The colors in the flower (and background) are lovely and the sharpness of the bee is great, plus you've got a fine highlight in it's eye. I like the extra space up top in the "larger version". If you've got it, I think a bit more space on the right would also be good.

Here is a re-do of the small, more square crop but with more space top and right. Let me know if this changes the small v. vertical large preference.

Edit...hmmm, I think I went too far with adding to the right. Looks much better with a black border too!

Much better, Marylynne. Nice work. I think the comp and position of the bee is just right now.