Tripod, Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon 180mm macro
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/200
Av (Aperture Value) 11.0
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed 800
This is on water mint by the garden pond, I liked the way he was having a wash and brush up, I have others with the tail end in focus but unfortunately not when he was having a wash.
I reduced the sharpening on the mint and I can't decide if it is still a little to sharp - your views/comments would be of interest.
A really nice behavioral shot, Jon! Love the sharpness on the fly, the eye-level shooting angle, and the soft light. Good comp and background, too. The sharpness on the plant looks OK to me. Very well done!
Very nice Jonathan. Pose, exposure and sharpness are all very nice. I can see why you contemplate reducing the sharpness of the mint a bit. It is a bit of an overpowering perch for the fly and reducing the sharpness could help. Not sure if I would have noticed if you hadn't brought it up though.
Btw. I think your ID of the fly is correct. There is a rather similar Helophilus,where the black markings on the tip of the tail are connected. I think that that is not the case in this fly, but I can't see it really clearly in your image.