2015 HD Deep Dive 12

The light is perfect, Nathan - the petals fading smoothly into the background in the centre of the image.  I think probably the space on the R is about right, as the form and textures of the flower are powerful enough to hold the frame together.  Might be interesting to see a small crop on the R but I doubt it could be improved that way.

I like the soft look and colors of this. It's calming and pleasant.

I think cropping would be decided by the use of the image. Extra room is nice in a stock image, so people can add text there. If it's an artistic/print image, then a crop is probably a good idea.It's nice as is, but I'm not a lover of 4x6 format. 4x5 or even square would work. 

There is a green wedge shape in the left side of the flower that I think should be cloned out. There is also a OOF white petal in the lower right center edge that catches my attention. You might think about cloning the stem as well. To me it grabs attention due to its bold color in comparison to the rest of the image. 

Can I have this image Nathan?  Oh how I would love to work with it.  The light and detail are spot on and I love the fade out.  Agree with a square format of the flower only unless you need room for text.  Beautiful specimen with gorgeous color.

Hi Nathan, lighting of the flower is wonderfull: A beautiful almost 'porcelain like' rendition.  The composition I find really very interesting (positive sense) and i really would leave as is - Cropping the flower top and left was a very good idea.  My only issue would be to remove the slight yellow touch at the bottom right of center making the right side much cleaner ...
Cheers, mark

I like the crop on the top and left. If this were mine (I wish!), I would crop to a 4:5, unless you want to leave room for text. This is really delicate and lovely, Nathan. It's hard to go wrong with something so well made.

Nathan: Interesting broad spectrum of comments so far. I actually like this very much as is. For me a crop reduces this to a conventional portrait which is OK but I find this presentation more dynamic and thought provoking. I see Brad's point about the stem but I find myself even liking that. Overall a superbly crafted image.>=))>

Nathan, different but beautiful all the same. First I love the back lit light that creates very nice transparences, then I like the low contrast and the high luminosity that both work for pastel and delicate colors. A more central composition would let admire a great number of transparent petals. 

Nathan, I like 4x6 format and the space on the right side. Pleasing soft color palette and back lit. Works well as is for me. Wouldn’t change a thing.