Get Very Close!

A photograph is like a story, it shouldn't be weighed down with too many irrelevant details. Showing just a part of the subject has the viewer focus on what you wanted to show them, and nothing else.

Two useful techniques for this are cropping and using a narrow depth of field (DOF). The above image of a Margaret blossom is bereft of the outer petals to showcase the delicate centre of the blossom.

Using a very narrow DOF renders a crocus blossom into an abstract painting:

Eyes are drawn to the sharpest part of a photograph, in this case, the tightly wrapped petals of another crocus adding a feeling of tension.

To emphasise the delicate purple stripes on the petal, I've used a narrow DOF to render everything else softer, blending those details of the background, leaving the stark contrast between the white and purple of the petal to capture the eyes and imagination of the viewer.

Keep exploring, keep making the photographs you want to see!