I like this composition and subject matter. I can see why you chose the background texture as the colors work well with your flower. However I feel like it's a little busy and pulls my eyes away from the tulip. The white spots/streaks on the flower petals and stem, which must have come from the Plastic Wrap filter, don't improve this image in my opinion. I still want to see some "beauty" in this flower even though it's fading away. For me, the edits feel too harsh. But was that your intent? For us to see this as a "harsh reality" VS still finding beauty in this aging flower?

I've attached two edits just as food for thought if you want to see this image in a different way. The first, in Lightroom, I just masked the background and reduced the texture, clarity, and sharpness to smooth it out and blend the colors so you could see what the background might look like. Just a quick edit, not perfect. Again, I wouldn't leave the flower with all of that texture when using this background either.

The second, I took your original image into Topaz Studio 2 and layered two textures in Soft Light mode, added a layer with a painterly "look" at very low opacity, then added a color vignette choosing a color from the petals. This gave it a completely different, softer look overall. I have to add the image in a second comment.

I appreciate that you still found beauty in this overlooked object!   Posted: 07/12/2025 16:57:34

Second edited image.   Posted: 07/12/2025 16:57:55

There is so much beauty to be found in decaying flowers and you chose a good specimen to photograph. I do like the colours in your background but like Denise I find it a little busy and I am not a fan of the plastic wrap filter on the flower. If I am looking to bring out the texture in petals a method I use is Dramatic black and white in Topaz Studio, apply the layer in Luminosity blend mode and reduce the opacity. In the attached I also brightened the flower with a curves layer before going into Topaz.   Posted: 07/14/2025 13:25:00

Connie, I really like the textures in this image. You took something ordinary and made it beautiful.   Posted: 07/16/2025 23:52:21

Connie, I do like your choice of color in this photograph. It is really beautifully done, in my opinion. The curves in the image are also very appealing to me.
Like others, my suggestion would be to tone down the texture over the flower. It is too distracting from the beauty of this treasure, in my opinion.
All in all, I find this a beautiful image.   Posted: 07/19/2025 00:39:40

I have a hard time fully appreciating dying flowers, for some reason -- sorry. I think the basic shapes are interesting here, but I agree with other comments about the plastic wrap filter not quite working to good effect here. The yellow, purple, and green pallet is impactful, color wise. And I like the curvature of the stem.   Posted: 07/19/2025 23:12:40