Flower Photo Competition 1 2015 : Results

Judges Comment
Revisiting this striking and provoking image many times - it has the feeling of a classic black & white movie from the past. Composition and tonality bring out the best of this photo. Congratulations to the winner!
Photographers Comment
Awesome! Thank you so much for the award, and for your kind words about the image! This image is untitled and was taken in the beautiful state of Missouri - late fall, early winter. It was taken using a Canon EOS 40D. There was very little post processing done to this image because the cloud cover was giving off very cool tones and very flat light. I turned the image BW and used the blue tones in the negative space (sky) to determine the coolness of the overall image. I took this image for a friend who was moving to California. I did not want her to forget the beautiful simplicity that is given in Missouri fall/winter scenery. Thank you again for the award!
theshawnamiller.com

Judges Comment
This is a lovely and crisp photo. We like the contrast of the snow crystals, as well as the bright pink/fuchsia flowers growing out of it. Is spring on its way? And what a nice surprise this is!
Photographers Comment
What a pleasure to get this honor. Thank you. I used a Canon SX50 HS, ISO-80. f/5 and macro lens. I am an armature, but love playing with the camera. I was out enjoying the snow with my daughter. Rare for Texas and I saw this beauty poking up through the snow.
www.soulfeathers.com

Judges Comment
What a healthy looking image. Lush, bright and full of energy. Are these flowers real, or are they made out of plastic? Also the water drops add a great feel to this photo. It underlines the healthy appearance.
Photographers Comment
Thanks for this honor! These actually are real flowers. It's an Oncidium Orchid. I took this at home using natural light (front) along with two off-camera flashes (left & right). These are very small flowers (~0.5 inch). I used a macro lens on a tripod and an exposure of 2 secs at f/22 and ISO 100. Canon EOS 7D with EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.
www.michaelstebelimages.com

Judges Comment
Here we have a nicely composed and executed photo. We could see this image being used as a record cover! The square format works well with the composition and the green and purple are in harmony.

Judges Comment
Dreamy and full of hope is what we feel when looking at this photo. Was this image taken early in the morning? Maybe the first rays of sun? A great capture and very well spotted.
Photographers Comment
hello come from my hometown Polish Wroclaw, and it's true :) still dream of hope, and once these dreams come ..... Fuji XE1 pictures actually made in the early morning in your own home ... it was the first thing I saw when you open your eyes... :) Thank you for your appreciation and voices, I still hope that we meet, greet everyone and leave you with the dream ... :) if you have a craving to know me, I invite.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/32319320@N06/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/32319320@N06/

Judges Comment
A graphic image, which has a scary and even an aggressive feel to it. The bright yellow, orange and brown colours, with the wasp being placed in the centre of the photo. We like the geometrical order in the photo, as well as the tight crop. Wonderful and thank you for submitting this stunning photo!
Photographers Comment
Hy, I'm Roberto from Brescia, Italy. I shot the picture with an old compact camera Sony Cybershot DSC-T10 in macro mode. I was on the Italian Alps. Thank you very much for this honor and congratulations to all the winner here!

Judges Comment
A writer might be able to write an entire story about and around this photograph. The narrow depth of field and the misty colours give it a moody feel to it. It cold be part of a dark story.
Photographers Comment
Hi I am Kaiser, live in Sunny southern California. This photo was taken with 5D MKIII and used a crop frame macro lens on it (Tokina M35 F/2.8). Shot wide open. Very little post processing other than crop. I agree to judges comment, almost read my mind. This flower is a bitter sweet memory. It's a California native Dandelion. A pesky garden weed that every lawn owner tries to get rid off. I weed wacked one side of the wall and popped up on another. It has such strong genetics and spread speed. I was frustrated and really took the time to discover what makes it unique only to find out it's a beautiful flower that no on cares about cause it grows so plentiful. It sure is a dark story for this flower and it's kind. Thanks for your vote. Really appreciate it.
www.flickr.com/photos/55812609@N07/

Judges Comment
We are drawn to this image for all sorts of reasons. First of all, one needs to get beyond the obvious to see whatâ€™s going on here. An all red photograph shot through a screen. Very creative and well spotted!
Photographers Comment
It was, as you can probably tell, an orchid, sitting in the window of a building on Central Park West in New York City. The mesh shade was pulled down for privacy, creating interesting shadows and shapes, which were tinged by the glow of a nearby traffic signal. The photo was taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 with the Olympus M Zuiko 75mm lens. Post-processed in Lightroom 5. Many thanks for the acknowledgment.

Judges Comment
Looking up the sky and and shooting against the sun through a flower blossom. Well seen and an unusual angle of photographing a flower. Truly one of a kind!
Photographers Comment
Thank you for this honor! This was taken in my backyard in northwestern Kansas with my iPhone. The clear blue sky made a lovely background for the white and yellow daisies. I wanted to show the purple coloring on the back of the blossoms. This is my favorite photo of a flower reaching toward the sun for life inspiring me seek the Son of God for life being a cancer survivor. I'm am amateur and this was my first ever photo entry. Thank you!