Wild Flower

[Dave Leroy]

I went out this morning looking for the last black berry of the season. I saw a few of these pretty flowers, and as I was setting up a nice bee/wasp landed. 50D, 100/2.8 macro at 1/125, f/13, ISO400. I cropped a bit and cloned out a dark spot. Dave

[Harshad Barve]

beuatiful flower with some water drops and bee , nice light
Better BG would have made this grand
TFS

[Julie Kenward]

Dave, I totally agree with Harshad. You got nice DOF on the flower and bee but that BG...not the most conducive to a beautiful print. Was there any other angle you could have shot this at to not get that BG?

Other option might be to 'paint it out' with the brush tool or perhaps a strong blur.

Nice placement of the flower in the frame - love the side angle of the stem and the way the flower falls across the image.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Dave, I beleive that is a fly that mimics the looks of a bee for protection. Nice light, like the little leaf of the stem in the corner, adds a little extra interest there. BG already mentioned, as Jules suggests maybe a little blur in PS.

[Steve Maxson]

Hi Dave. Nice sharpness, colors and DOF on the flower. I like the diagonal comp. I would agree with the others about the background. The insect is definitely a fly (the head shape gives it away). It is a type of Flower Fly (family Syrphidae). There are many species and they are excellent mimics of bees and wasps. :)

[Dave Leroy]

Thanks for comments and suggestions. It was a pretty dried up sandy field so that was the bg. I like the idea of a blur and perhaps darker. Also thanks for the insect id. I do see the fly eyes. Tks, Dave

[Ed Vatza]

It's all already been said. Beautiful flower. Background could be better. I usually carry some sort of cloth that I could use for a background in a pinch. I use the timer, press the shutter release and run around behind the flower and hold up the cloth. It works when the natural background is distracting and I can't blur it enough. Just a thought.