OK. Yesterday, my wife chose the PAD. Today it's my turn to pick. Of all of the botanical garden - spring springing - shots from yesterday, this is one of my favorites. It's got it all - earth tones, bulb greenery & shapes, a colorful blossom - all wrapped up in a soft dreamy package. My 2nd favorite, *really tough decision* was http://www.pbase.com/ed_k/image/56542339
I like the way the flower blossom sends the same message - it just *bursts* out of the soft dreamy fore-and-background - that the entire plant does as it pushed through several inches of mulch to find the sun. The message, of course, is "Sping is coming, spring is coming, spring is coming...." (finally).
This is one of the rare times when I liked the wide open aperture version of a shot the best (I typically shoot the same shot wide open, 5.6, 8, 16 and 32 to study the effect. Obviously, if the backgound has the potential to be busy then it's usually something in the 5.6-8 range that works best overall - but rarely the wide open; the shallow DOF usually loses out). The camera, tripod and photographer are all flat on the ground; seem to be doing that a lot. Can't wait for Really Right Stuff to start delivering their new focus rail that I have on order; it would make this a lot easier (and more accurate).