Bravo...the burgundy is a fine background (good suggestion by Lynell) but your mild spotlight in the middle is the "making" touch. There's a principle here: That with such prickly edges, a monotone creates problems; you've gotten around it by making your monotone "morph": Ie, it moves from darker to lighter; and in the lighter section, you place your rose. Why's that good? Because the light harmonizes with the edges, because they by nature are already stealing the light (look at how they shine), so the background is "working with" the foreground, like good harmony behind a singer. You already get that cooperation in the amazing lighting of your museum shots, for instance; or the backgrounds to some of your bird close-ups (where you soften focus, etc). Here, you created it with a simple spotlight—which you were sure to keep gentle & well 'mixed' (as opposed to lens flare, which pretty much takes over its area) and it's just what the rose demands. This is "listening to your image," putting your ear to the image and hearing what it has to say. See, and I love that you started with the experiment (last upload), and then posted this. This is where galleries create dialogue. You've got me swimming with ideas now. Terrific mini-series.

Excellent results!

it's prettty, but I still liked it better outside.

Awesome image How did you do that background? Hugs Susan~