This is another shot that, IMO, deserves greater recognition.

The tones are great - subtle oranges and greens really complement each other. In this case, I think a really shallow depth of field helps the shot. Composition is good, with the 'focused' spikes on the intersection of thirds. It's nicely exposed too.

This is a shot where less is more - you don't need to see more to know exactly what this is.

The depth of field is absolutely spot on here - enough of the spikes are in focus to provide an area that draws your eye, while the cactus itself and the edges of the image are beautifully out of focus. I would be interested to know which lens and aperture setting were used for this, and the approximate shooting distance?

I'm assuming there were some extension tubes used for this shot...? It seems to have that essence of extreme depth of field that is emphasised by tubes.

Wonder if there's anything in post also? - or if that fall of is natural?

That only thing I disliked was that there was another entry that was very similar to this - an alternate shot in fact.
I find that when the editing hasn't been fully complete that it detracts from the final impact of a good image like this one.

Yeah, I agree about the posting of alternate shots. One person posted about 15 similar images. I think voters quickly got bored of them.

Yeah, I had wondered about PP on the edges too, as they're darker, but either way, it's a great effect. If the cactus in the bottom of the frame was as bright as the main one it would be far more distracting.

>Dave

15 shots wont be happening next time.... people will be limited to 3 a piece otherwise will be removed and disqualified.

Should make for some stronger editing prior to submission I think.

I agree that the fall off whether natural or not adds to the shot. The saturated complimentary colours and the DOF also add to the impact.

Thanks for the feedback everybody.

To answer some of the questions:

This was taken with a Tamron 90mm macro lens - no extension tubes used. The shooting distance was probably about 2 or 3 cm - it was very close. The spikes are actually only about 5mm long - it's a really tiny cactus.

Some of the light fall-off was natural. This was taken looking down on the cactus, and it was positioned so that the focal point of the shot (the main cactus 'stem') was in soft light, whereas the rest of the plant was in slightly darker light. I accentuated this slightly in Photoshop using the burn tool.

The reason I entered this and the other one was because, although they were of the same cactus, I thought they were really quite different. This photo was to concentrate on the shape and form of the spikes - the other shot was all about the water drops, and how they 'held' within all the spines.

Thanks again for the feedback.

I liked this image but I thought it would have been better if you had concentrated on just the top part of the cactus and could have somehow cropped out the bottom part all together. I found it a bit too distractin. I quite liked the vignetting.:)

last chance bump