Columbine macro

I was in the Flattops this past week with a couple of pals. Lots of flowers and some good shooting. I liked this columbine because it was so nearly white. We saw a lot of those. One question: There is some distraction in the upper left corner. I tried darkening, more cropping, even cloning. Nothing looked normal. Is that corner so distracting that it wrecks the image?

Thanks for your comments as always.

Here is a sunset with a nice field of flowers in the Flattops. This was last Friday.

Here is another from the Flattops trip.

These all look really flat, like possibly they're some other color space than sRGB that's not translating well on the Web. There's definite potential in these, though.

As for the distraction in the first one, try the patch tool (click and hold on the spot healing brush tool), circle the offending distraction, drag the selection into the cleaner zone nearby, click nearby to deselect, and then do any minor spot healing or clone tool touch-up.

The Flat Tops is a huge place. Where were you?

Todd, Thanks for the suggestions. I am very high on the Lightroom learning curve, trying to use Nat's book and learn as I go. We were on Forest Road 600 about 25 miles from the main highway.

I would suggesting the top a bit, at the bottom of that blurred stem. And then you might try a color range selection in Photoshop, for the red area - and significantly flatten out the contrast/lighten it. Might help.

That columbine macro has a lot of potential. Great job in getting that one!
As noted, the contrast is almost nonexistent, though.
The second appears to have had too strong a touch with the Shadow/Highlight tool.
I would start over on 'developing' that one.
The last would look pretty good with a contrast boost.

I tried darkening, more cropping, even cloning.

Cloning should have done the trick here.
Here's a PS tip:
Try selecting the flower petals closest to the offending stem. Then Select->Inverse.
This selects everything except those petals.
Now you can clone with abandon because the Clone tool will only work in the selected area and not disturb the petals.

Nice columbine shot, agree to keep working on the top left corner.

John - Thank you for the tip. That was a PS action I did not know of. Wow, do I have a long way to go with learning processing. Ah well, it keeps me off the streets and out of the Alzheimer's ward. :)

Doesn't bother me, and they are all really nice, Rod.