2011-08-28_00033

If this is just an occasional snap it is not bad at all. But if you had a bit more in mind, I would suggest few things:

• Flowers need good light chosen with care; shadows rarely provide good results (sometime you can fix things in post processing but don't rely too much on it). Try the sunset or early morning light to get a different angle and experiment until you find something different.
• Another unwanted effect of shadows is that the colors may not look always right: you probably noticed that most cameras render colors nicely in sunlight while everything in the shadows may look a bit "blueish"; in you case the rose has shades of purple in place of red. You may want to play a bit with the white balance and try a warm tone.
• Sharpness helps the flower to "pop-up" better. Blurring the background can make it even better sometimes. You may try a larger aperture (in aperture priority mode) with a good lens. A prime lens may help a lot. Sharpening in post-processing is also a good idea when applicable.
• Many like darker backgrounds (even black if possible); the idea is the same - make the flower "pop-up" better. In real life is difficult but try to look for a background that is not too reach in details that distract the eye.

I know I'm not saying something new here. But a word of advice helps sometimes: we are all here to learn. I attached an attempt to fix few things in post-processing. You will be the judge.

Maybe I misinterpreted your intentions. In this case don't take me too seriously. In the end I'm not a professional photographer either...

Thank you again.

That's my shadow ;) I couldn't take the flower otherwise.

We were at a Nikon workshop in the park to test some lenses, I had not much time.