I was out photographing wildlife when I came across this pond with lily pads that were lit up by the evening sun. I shot this with my Canon 7D & Sigma 150-500 f/5-6.3 @ 198mm f/5.6 and 1/800. I used a shallow depth of field do keep the receding lily pads out of focus. I then added some softness in Photoshop to create an even more painterly look.

This plant (a.k.a. goatsbeard or salsify) which looks like a giant dandelion was lit beautifully by the late evening sun. I love the softness so I used a shallow depth of field to keep some of the seeds looking soft around the outside with detail towards the center. This was shot with Canon EOS M 55-200mm F4.5-6.3, @200mm f/6.3, 1/1600.