Glad you liked the shot, Sam. I did try it per your suggestion with just a wee bit more light in the center of the flower, and while it intuitively seems like a right and proper thing to do, the center lost the power to drive the eye to the orange petals. The blockiness, if you will, of the center makes the viewer seek relief, and that leads them to the petals. Good lesson relearned … it’s a refinement of that old saw about when all things are equal nothing stands out. In this case, when something even just begins to be recognizable (the seed-center), the point of attraction becomes exponentially diminished. Thanks.
The more I look at it the more I think you’re right. The darkness of the center and the color burst of the petals accentuates the sun shape and draws the eye up and right. I’ll be quiet now.
5280 Lens Mafia 
Beautiful subdued colors and textures Greg, and unusual framing. My first thought was Van Gogh.
Such a pleasing image – it invites this viewer to take the time to think about the details of this sunflower. Did you create this with HDR?
Thanks, Dawn. No HDR here. Just your straight colors and one image. Sometimes reality is just fine, don’t you think?
I was afraid you had begun a long march to the dark side… 🙂
Lovely and interesting.
Man, the orange petals are gorgeous. Part of me wants a tad more light on the center of the flower, but that’s a small thing. Great shot.
Glad you liked the shot, Sam. I did try it per your suggestion with just a wee bit more light in the center of the flower, and while it intuitively seems like a right and proper thing to do, the center lost the power to drive the eye to the orange petals. The blockiness, if you will, of the center makes the viewer seek relief, and that leads them to the petals. Good lesson relearned … it’s a refinement of that old saw about when all things are equal nothing stands out. In this case, when something even just begins to be recognizable (the seed-center), the point of attraction becomes exponentially diminished. Thanks.
The more I look at it the more I think you’re right. The darkness of the center and the color burst of the petals accentuates the sun shape and draws the eye up and right. I’ll be quiet now.
Well done, sir.