Do any of these work?

[Lori11]

Why do I struggle with these *%~*@ flowers?

[AgingEyes]

Looks nice and sharp !! May need to tidy them up a bit, get rid of those distracting elements.

[Loupey]

Large flowers like these are some of the hardest subjects to shoot well - deceptively difficult. So don't beat yourself up.

I agree with AE - watch those backgrounds. In bright sunlight like this, look for a shadowed area in the background (like your last shot, only more shadowed). Placing the flower against that will have nearly the same effect as using a black cloth and may give you a cleaner shot.

Or look for a clean lawn - that will give you a uniform OOF grean background.

[Lori11]

TY! That helps me alot Since these were in HUGE pots, no chance of moving them.. I will keep practicing (or put them on a helmet since I have a hard time shooting still things lol)

[Jaedon]

going on what Loupey said. In the first one if you had stood a little taller then the BG would have been more even.. but then you would've lost that nice angle on the flower.

The middle one is my favourite even with the busy BG.

In the last one if you had lowered you perspective a bit you would've had the black shadows behind the flower really giving it a bit more pop. I love lily's a lot. They are my favourite flower. (I have 14 different types and 60 different plants in my yard)

Regardless of my comments you have still taken better shots then I have yet to achieve of my favourite flowers. I am jealous =)

[mn shutterbug]

I like them all, but in the last one, in additon to the recommendation of a lower perspective, I would crop it vertically, and eliminate the closed flowers on each side.

[Lori11]

Thanks! I will do that on the 3rd one, I was going to but didnt know if it would look ok. I will try it and repost.
Jaedon, in my case ignorance is bliss, however, I do practice on flowers, Im blessed with a good eye and cursed with not understanding shutter speeds lol ty for the nice words

[Canon_Bob]

Another trick that works really well when shooting in harsher light like this is to use a diffuser panel. It'll give yu a much softer, more evenly distributed light source. Using a bit of fill flash for any shadows helps too. If you don't have a diffuser panel, you can make one with some lightweight white bond paper and a makeshift cardboard frame. It doesn't need to be very big. You can also use a cloth background to help with those distracting backgrounds. Just be sure it's far enough away to blur nicely.

Flowers at least give us the advantage of being able to study the shot and take some time setting it up. It's definitely an art, though. Seeing the work of a great floral photographer is really someting to see.

[California L33]

Why do I struggle with these *%~*@ flowers?

I think the second one works best- like others have said, partially because the background is least distracting, but also because of the composition. When I was obsessed with flowers a few years ago I'd shoot at night with a black cloth out of the light. It really got rid of all distractions and allowed you to focus on the subject.

[Lori11]

Beautiful shot L33! Thankfully Im not obsessed, just annoyed with it lol but I am going to try that!

[Lori11]

Here is the edited version of #3 Any better, or should it be tighter? I added a tighter one

[California L33]

Here is the edited version of #3 Any better, or should it be tighter? I added a tighter one

There we go. That works much better. I like the cropped version, and thanks for the compliment.

[Lori11]

Thanks L33! *sigh, all that for one photo LOL I will keep practicing
Canon Bob, this was a case of seeing the flowers and shooting, I will work on what you suggested
Thanks everyone!

[California L33]

...all that for one photo...

I once carried my 35mm kit (not that bad) plus battery powered hot lights (very heavy) about a mile in, and a thousand feet down (and then back up) a mountain to get a shot during the height of summer (which meant carrying water- also heavy). I did it 3 times before I was satisfied with the shot.

[Lori11]

Oh I understand, I lugged my camera out the back door, saw the flowers, it was hot mind you, shot some pics and then did editing (in the AC) and came here for help :lol: ok ok ok You win
(and I am totally impressed!) So where is the shot ?

[California L33]

Oh I understand, I lugged my camera out the back door, saw the flowers, it was hot mind you, shot some pics and then did editing (in the AC) and came here for help :lol: ok ok ok You win
(and I am totally impressed!) So where is the shot ?

Here it is, but now that I look at it...

[Lori11]

Now that you look at it what? Its beautiful! Im thinking I should stick to motorsports LOL. Thats an awesome shot! You should post it on the B&W forum :thumbsup: