Unknown Fly or Bee?

[Paul Lagasi]

I took this image near Tucson, a fly I think?..any help will be appreciated

D300
nikon 70-200 2.8 @ 200mm
f3.5
1/8000
iso-500
handheld

[Ken Childs]

Hey Paul, that's a species of Hover Fly.

If you could have dropped down to get more of a side view, you would have ended up with a better looking image.

[Julie Kenward]

I agree with Ken about the angle but you did get some really nice detail here. I'd probably consider desaturating the yellows a bit as they have lost a bit of their detail. A good way to do that is in camera raw - drop the saturation by 5-10 points and then look at increasing the luminosity by 5-10 points.

Also, the bee is pretty centered here so might just go with a tight square crop and eliminate the BG.

[Paul Lagasi]

Thanks Ken for ID...Julie, I used your idea..the image below is what I will keep in my Insect Master file..thanks...hope you like it

[Richard Waas]

Paul, I like the repost comp, but maybe a tad more contrast.... Great detail, TFS. Congrats!

[Julie Kenward]

Much softer and more realistic and now the whole image feels more balanced. Nice repost, Paul.

[Paul Lagasi]

Thanks a bunch folks