The first one without the flash looks the best to me..
BB in SC

Dawn,
What can I say? They're all nice, no overflash, not underexposed, nice. I like the side view, black background.
Dan

It's hard to wait 4 months to see a cactus in bloom, isn't it? :)

I like the last one, with the detail of the spiral growth.

Alessandro

That is a handsome plant Dawn. I prefer the use of natural light where possible, and I like the use of black background too! I particularly like the top shot.

CP

Thanks everyone for your input. I was just messing around seeing what I could come up with. I like the black background myself. I also like the no flash one also, it shows the fine white spines better.

Dawn