Some more from South Padre, or rather the way back....

[Juanito200]

We came across this seemingly abandonded sunflower farm on the side of the road, and I couldn't resist. I tried to do something a little different with them in terms of composition and selection. Plus it was about 1:00 in the afternoon, rendering my polarizer ineffective for getting rid of the haze in the sky. (I really wanted a deep blue sky...) C'est la vie... Anyway, I'm not 100% sure on them. Let me know what you think.. C&C welcome and appreciated.

[David Kilpatrick]

I like the closed, budding sunflower. That's a new view on a familiar subject.

David

[Juanito200]

Thats kind of what I was going for. I took some 'standard' shots and wasn't happy with them. I loved the back of of the sunflower, with its many layers. I emphasized it to say 'hey this side is cool too!' Thanks for the feedback, John.

[Birma]

Hi John - I like #2 and #3 the most. In #2 I like the closed flower, with the promise of what is to come shown in the background. In #3 I like the different view of the back of the flower, with more flowers in the background. It could be a sunflower political rally, taken from behind the speaker

I sympathise with your grey skies - it is the big holiday summer weekend in the UK (August Bank Holiday) and we were treated to a cold day of drizzle yesterday

[Dusty]

1 and 3 do it for me. In 32 the flowers behind are a distraction. Maybe more of them might actually help.

Dusty

[Juanito200]

Thanks for the critique Dusty. I see what you are saying about the background in the 2nd shot. Kind of an unappealing uneveness to it? I admit that after the first shot, I thought that just the dirt as a background was kinda boring, so I hastily shot the 2nd.. I didn't think about background composure much.... I'll blame it on the 100 degree heat, but really I was impatient! This is why I enjoy this forum. Good constructive criticism from literally all over the US and the world. Thanks, and thanks to all!! John

[KevinBarrett]

Nice shots, John! I think I like that second one the most--good textures and depth of field. The 100-300 APO I presume?

[Juanito200]

Yep- I love being able to count the little hairs on the edges! Thought I wish I would have used a little more DOF on 1 and 2... John

[Dr. Harout]

The last one for me. It's great.