In the grounds of a NATO headquarters near Naples, Italy I saw this really cool flower (I think the Latin name was Realius Coolius - but I could be wrong - actually a ganzania).  I thought the combination of bright, but distinct colors was especially striking.

The key to many successful photographs is to take the picture at the eye level of the subject.  Many photographers overlook the fact that things like flowers have "faces and eyes", just like people do.   In this case I rested my elbows on the ground to steady the camera - just a standard 50mm lens with a wide open aperture for a shallow depth of field.