Some flower garden for CC

[rlemert]

One of my wife's co-workers recently bought a house from a guy who apparently loved azaleas. He's probably got two acres covered with the things - plus a few other stray shrubs and trees here and there. We went to see the place when they were in peak bloom, and I tried to get a few pictures for practice. Here are three of the "best" (and I use that term very loosely) for your sadistic pleasure. Suggestions on techniques, composition, and post-processing eagerly awaited. (One comment on composition, though; I'm not really 'big' on single-blossom shots. I like a more holistic image - maybe not the entire plant, but more than a single bloom.)

#1)

Orange (Azaleas maybe) by Rich1760, on Flickr

We're not sure if this is an azalea or not. It's the only one of its kind in the garden, and it stands out because of its larger size and the pretty orange color. I think the dark red of the Japanese Maple (?) in the background adds a nice contrast, but it's about the only thing that separates it from the background. (Getting separation from the background was a common problem I had that day, apparently.) I also think this is a little dark.


#2)

Orange bells by Rich1760, on Flickr

I thought these were pretty (again, don't know what they are), and I did manage to get some separation with the azaleas in the back through DOF. However, the blooms blend in with the green foliage in the front. I think I should have gotten lower so that at least the two center blossoms were over the green and had the dark background behind them.


#3)

Japanese Maple by Rich1760, on Flickr

I think this is the best of the lot, and probably the best I can do in this garden. There could probably be more separation between the red maple and the white azaleas in the upper left, but the greenery in the lower right foreground and the brush/trees in the background to give this picture at least a little depth.