Summer Bloom

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks AntZ. You'll see these if you look around now ... they are on a very green but kinda sparce looking tree. Don't know what they are called cause I'm a man!

[Marko]

That's what I like MA! I guess I'm too conventional sometimes....and how odd it is that people know what i like and don't like. I mean I understand how it happens, but it's weird from this end.

You picked on the two very things I was trying to achieve the opposite of

I wanted the darkness in the first shot to highlight the 'spotlight' effect ... and I wanted a bright, almost blown out effect in the second to achieve a strong, fairytale glow I used an off camera flash to achieve that lighting to start with and went from there.
But that's ok ... I know you have a aversion to overly dark or overly light photos

MA you achieved your vision perfectly and you totally have me pegged on this on, but I'd like to add the word 'often' right before the word have in yr last sentence .

[Mad Aussie]

I'll amend my thinking to include often in my assessment of you Marko

[Rinkdaddy]

I like the vignetting of the first one but would have liked to see a little more of the white of the pedal before it went to black.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks Rinkdaddy. Perhaps a bit quicker falloff into the shadow but closer t othe border before it started would have worked then.

[Foots]

I like the first one also MA. It has a sense of mystery about it.

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks Foots

[MoinMoin]

I like the first two one. Nr. 1 has a wonderful spotlight in the middle. Maybe Nr. 2 has a bit too much light. But Nr. 3 is perfect - love it!

[Mad Aussie]

Thanks MM

[tomorrowstreasures]

lovely set, MA - for the third one, imho - the part to the fore that is not in focus would be better if it were sharper...