Cathedral of the Woods

Rose window and floral offering provided by sunset, cedars and lavender rhododendrons.

I find myself wondering what didn't appeal to the raters, i know that personally i'm not a big fan of flash photography (yet), but i think that's largely a bias based on the fact that i've never actually succeeded at it quite this well. I burn stuff. Always. I can't help it. I'm tragically afflicted. Here i suspect that the white flash versus red sun created an unnatural tension in the light which may be where the bulk of raters jumped the wagon. Compositionally, i like things that skirt the frame edges without overly straining the photo (done well here, specifically at the top of the wagon wheel). I think it's an attractive photo Don, and again, good expsure!

Richard, thank you (your visits are always a treat, also, m'friend). I'm sure you're right about the color tension, though some of that's due to the actual, if improbable, color of the rhodies. The cedar on the left is an odd, yellowish-green, too. Also, I'm aware that both the background and the close foreground are out of focus (and not by accident), which I know displeases many raters. I'm very happy you liked it.

I've never been a big fan of flash either, though my equipment has gotten so much smarter that it can manage such exposures pretty well. The camera was in slow flash mode (for a shutter speed based on ambient light — somewhere down around 1/4 second, as I recall), and the flash was dialed back, since my goal was to get the sky without silhouetting the plants.