This idea is nice, the execution doesn't totally work for me. I guess I expect a shot like this to really let that stark white stand out on the black and somehow the uneven lighting doesn't allow it to be as compelling for me. I like the left half a lot, because the beauty of those delicate blooms pops!

I'm kind of all over the place with this one, I love the subject and the framing, like the idea of the lighting but feel the bigger flower should have been lit too.

I've come back to this image several times before rating and commenting, because I wanted my first, knee-jerk reaction to settle down. I wanted to see this in color.

Okay, it isn't in color, as far as I can tell. I wish I knew the name of these flowers. The flowers are nicely arranged and composed on a shiney surveace that dimly echoes the curved petals above. The curved shapes cascade downward from right to left, like a little waterfall. Delicate, sensually curved tendrils nestle reach inward. There is a Georgia O'Keefe sexuality (don't look too close) to the flowers themselves, rendering them more nude than humans.

So now I think I get it. That's why this photo is in b/w and not color. In color, we'd just say, very pretty, nice composition, but not very relevant. In b/w, it speaks volumes about the Theme.