@shepherdmanswife I belong to our local camera club and every December we have an in-house competition. Thank you for taking the time to look at my image and comment.
I think of the two images your water drop is the stronger of the two. The sharpness of this, the dof, the muted colors are all very nice, but the way the rest of the plant is cropped off at the bottom bothers me just a bit compositionally. I think I'd like to see those two flower heads that are cut off in the picture. That's me- another judge may not be bothered by it. The water drop composition is better balanced. While it's tempting to put a flower in the middle of the picture plane, sometimes it's better to go by the rule of thirds and place it in one of those intersections where the lines meet on the grid. (Most people think that you are supposed to put your subject in the boxes created by the lines of the grid but it's where the lines intersect that are the most interesting spots created by the Rule of Thirds). I would have placed this one in the upper left. Again, that's how I would have approached it. But if I was leaving it in the center and if there were no restrictions on post-processing, I may have added a hint of a texture or a small vignette. Again- only to enhance the subject. You walk a fine line with these things because too much of them can take away from it- and this one has some compelling features. So there's my two-cents' worth that you did not ask for!
