sunflower holding a mini sun

Subject & Focal Details — A three-quarter portrait of a single sunflower anthropomorphized as a gentle 3D character, occupying the central vertical plane and filling most of the frame. The flower head tilts slightly toward camera with the face turned three-quarters, the petals arranged like a ruffled collar. In the very center, the sunflower cradles a miniature, perfectly spherical radiant sun — about the size of a plum — held by subtle petal-formed hands/curves. The tiny sun glows visibly, casting its own light and showing delicate corona edges and tiny flares.

Appearance & Materials — Petals are soft, slightly translucent with fine fibrous veins and microscopic fuzz; a few have gentle creases and tiny specks of pollen. The seed-disk has a warm, matte texture with a faint spiral pattern; the miniature sun has a glassy, incandescent surface with tiny surface ripples and a faint heat shimmer. Subtle imperfections (micro-scratches on the sun-glass, pollen dust, tiny petal frays) add believable realism.

Color Placement — Dominant warm golden-yellow (#F6C84C) wraps the sunflower petals, a rich orange-amber (#FF9A00) defines petal bases and inner shadows, and a pale cream (#FFDFA8) highlights petal edges and translucency. Deep brown (#6A4A2A) anchors the seed-disk and stem details, while a cool deep-teal (#10202A) recedes into the background for contrast and to make the warm subject pop.

Lighting & Atmosphere — Backlit with a warm golden rim light that outlines the petals and creates thin halo edges, combined with the internal glow from the miniature sun which provides soft frontal fill and subtle corona bloom. Use a warm softbox quality for overall light with gentle falloff; add micro-bokeh from distant highlights and a faint heat shimmer around the tiny sun. Slight atmospheric dust motes catch rim light, enhancing depth.

Environment / Background — Minimal, out-of-focus studio-to-garden hybrid: a shallow, deep-teal gradient backdrop with a softly hinted blurred stalk and a single out-of-focus leaf as a secondary prop. Keep background elements subdued to emphasize the portrait.

Composition & Perspective — Camera at slightly below eye level of the sunflower to give an intimate, dignified perspective, 3:2 aspect ratio, medium-telephoto perspective (85mm equivalent) with shallow depth of field to isolate the head. Frame so the sunflower head sits on the upper two-thirds line, the miniature sun centered within the face. Foreground contains a soft blurred petal edge for layering; midground is the sunflower head; background smoothly recedes.

Artistic Style & Medium — High-end advertisement photograph blended with polished 3D character realism: a photorealistic 3D-rendered sunflower styled and lit like a studio portrait photograph, texture-rich materials and physically based rendering. Use subtle filmic grain and color grading for an artistic, creative finish while preserving photographic fidelity.

Mood / Narrative Hook — joy and wit: the sunflower radiates self-reliant brightness and gentle pride, evoking playful resilience.