I took this picture in bright sunshine in my front garden – hence the dark background, caused by exposing for the flower.  In an ideal world, I would have included all of the centre of the flower, or chopped it straight down the middle.  The idea was to have a sharp focus in the centre and then to drop off, making the petals softer.  Cape Daisies are pretty flowers, but a little dull when photographed in their entirety, I wanted something a little different.

It was taken with my macro lens on aperture priority, ISO200, f/14, 1/200secs (handheld whilst battling against an ornamental, but still thorny, bramble).

Hoverfly on a Cape Daisy

I make no apologies for adding another insect shot in to the library. This is as much about the reminder of Summer that it brings as it is about the shot. It is also a homage to my macro lens. The level of detail that I have managed to get from this lens has amazed me, but it has also started an interest in the world of invertebrates.  You can see the pollen on the insects legs and around its face, even without zooming in.

I also like the colours of the picture, the centre of the flower complimenting the colours of the insect and colour of the flower reminding me of the last days of Summer.

From a compositional point of view, I have cropped the photo and the hoverfly is sitting on a third and the central focus is sharp.

Picture was taken at ISO 200, f/10, 1/320 secs, hand-held.