You asked someone about the flower shot with the reflection. I am no expert at all but I think he laid out a black cloth and set a mirror on top of it and set the flower so it would reflect in the mirror. Also if you look under a photo and click on exif. It will usually tell you his settings. Hope this helps.
Thanks Peggy, I'll check it out. I've been looking at the exif files for the settings, but just wasn't sure how to get the black background. Appreciate the help.