Cliche flower shots - How to improve them.

There are two things we all like to shoot (Correct me if I am wrong) :) ... Lots of flowers and the moon (for some reason). As for the flowers, its a natural instinct as we get easily drawn into their amazing colors which is a result of generations of evolution. The flowers which has the most vibrant and most preferred colors (by bees etc) succeeds in making more copies. Now enough with biology :) and lets get into shooting them. All below shots were taken by me at different stages of my photography learning curve... and thought would help to solidify the guidelines. Please note that ALL PICS ARE COPYRIGHTED and CANNOT be used without my consent.

Also note that the critique below is my personal view only..and does not claim a global standard.

Here we go.. This is what I would have shot sometime back...

The above shot does have some vibrant colors to it (minimal PP done on this)... But lacks significance in my opinion. It doesn't provide the user with a unique view or a story. Lighting is completely flat and mainly due to the overcast weather at the time, but no consideration was paid to the lighting of the shot.

Now the one below is a little different and in my opinion, a much better shot.

Now, the above picture do contain some vibrant colors in it. But it also puts one flower in particular as the focal point of the picture. Putting it right in the middle might not be appealing.. but nonetheless it catches the eye. This is achieved by thinking about the lighting and the angle of attack of the shot. This is what we call as a back-lite (also a little side light) subject and that light helps to outline the contours of the object much better.  So, even though there s a lot going in the picture (a lot of flowers in it), the eye of the viewer is guided to the desired focal point.

Now the one below has even better impact in my opinion,

This is shot in very harsh sunlight but the positioning of the flower and its petals helps to minimize the effects of that light. Plus, the shadow it cast improves the dynamic range of the picture. I hold this picture above the other two posted here due to one main reason. Its the DETAILS in the shot. This is a "not so beautiful" flower by the side of the road... and yet this provides the user with a view of its unique structure evolved for pollination... and that adds value.

So there you go.. the next time you see a flower, don't snap a picture of it.. But think about  the following things,

1. What do I want to show about this flower?
2. What kind of lighting do I have right now and how to use it?
3. Where are the important details of the flower that makes it unique?

If you answer one or many of these points, I believe you ll have a stronger picture than many other vacationers would have sitting in their computers/cameras. Please add below if I have missed anything or if this was helpful to you.

Thank you!
Akila.