Flower Photo Competition 1 2014 : Entry Number 358

The winning photograph of this Flower competition shows such beautiful atmosphere and mood. The colours are toned down and the focus is on a little bird, as well as a dying sunflower. This image is beautifully captured, and well executed. Congratulation!

My name is Patrice O'Rourke I can't believe I won this competition! I am so grateful to judge Birgit Krippner for this honor. Sunflowers are usually known to be a very 'Happy looking flower' until they start to wilt and the head of the flower tilts downward. On top of this dying flower is a male Goldfinch, state bird of New Jersey. This was taken in my yard in a very urban area. These birds are very small and most New Jerseyans never have even seen one since they dart quickly and blend into the foliage. I wanted to give the feel of the mutualistic relationship between the flower and the bird. The bird eats seeds from the flower, seeds drop to the ground, those seeds will grow into a flower the following year, the bird again eats the seeds from the flower. I used my ZF-200 Lumix. Focal Length 108mm Shutter speed 1/500 Aperture f/ 3.5 ISO 400. Thank you so much! :)