Well, here we are at the 8th day of Christmas cactus Photos-a-Day. The blooms are fading fast; I may have to stockpile some to last through to the 12th day.
Shot on tripod (so what's new) with a black backdrop, f/32 to get the details, measured white balance to get the color, 105mm 1:1 macro lens with a 1.4x TC to get up close (and blur the close by leaves in the background), a circular polarizer for reflections from the petals, a black reflector to put the leaves in a darker shadow, and a cup of fresh ground/brewed coffee to start the day. Minor processing in Capture NX (contrast via D-Lighting and sharpness via High Pass filter; everything else was fine straight from the camera).
This is about as good as I can do from a technical (Craftsmanship) perspective. Moving on to my other two *critiquing* "C's" - composition and creativity, the composition is OK and the creativity is average at best. (My routine for judging whether an image of mine is competition or exhibit "worthy").