I have recently been putting together a collection of my best flower images to present a local gallery show proposal. The process has been fun, perusing over a decade of photographs in my somewhat organized Lightroom catalogs. That's when I came to this deep red-purple dahlia I photographed in 2014. I've always loved this image, but some things were distracting me from its beauty. So, with new Lightroom processing tools and skills, I tackled the raw photograph again, hoping to breathe new life into it.

Here is how I processed it back in 2014 when it was called, “Diva II”:

I didn't like how the front closest, out of focused petals, stopped my eye. And how the colors were not playing well together. I found it unsettled.

Here is the new image with a new name, "Electric Passion."

Now, I lead your eye to the center of the flower, where you can rest. Then the color harmony between the purple and red invites you to stay awhile.