What I am working on now

This is a red dahlia that I grew last summer. Here the work as it progresses. Some of the changes from photo to photo are from different lighting conditions.

early stages

I am really happy with the lower left corner in the shot above; I like how the light seems to glow through the petals. I hope that I can manage not to lose that effect later.

This is how it stands now, though this photo is a bit washed out, not quite as vivid as in real life. I am afraid that it is a bit overworked in the center. My next step is to darken the green background. I think that will add to the drama of the lighting. We shall see...