This is a flower I've never heard of before and had to look it up. You captured the buds in sharp focus with a clean, blurred-out background and pleasing blues and greens throughout. The fly is an added bonus. I hope you shoot the flower when it fully blossoms and post it here.   Posted: 07/02/2026 23:31:08

This is a really interesting take on shooting this flower before it blooms. You have the center in sharp focus, and since it leans to the left I appreciate how your crop leaves a little more room on that side. I'm not a fan of the fly however. Since it's just a dark, common insect, I don't feel it adds anything here. If it were a more colorful insect or maybe one with colors in it's iridescent wings, I could see leaving it in. But I feel the image would do well without it. Very pretty with the smooth green background.   Posted: 07/03/2026 19:58:31

This is a beautiful shot of an agapanthus, which I also did not know of. The composition works well, with the placement of the buds radiating from the center flower, or is it bract? (A suggestion would be to add some more space on the right side.) I like how the stem anchors the flower to the frame. The center of the flower is sharp, and focus fades of nicely into the distance. The lavender of the buds compliments the green and browns in the center, and the green bokeh background isolates the subject. Lighting is soft and diffused. Regarding the fly, at first I didn't like it, but the more I looked I think it adds to the photo's storytelling and draws my eye upwards. The only insect better would be a butterfly! Very nice photo!   Posted: 07/04/2026 12:29:51

I too have never heard of this flower. So glad you have shared it with us. Great background with nice soft lighting. At f-8 the top half is tack sharp with the bottom half soft. With the flower the main subject the focal point in the image I too do not feel you need the fly in the image. As I view the image my eye goes right to the flower but is then drawn to the fly. So, to my eye the fly is a distraction. It would make a great macro shot by itself. We don't need both they compete with each other. Like Mark a butterfly would work but it would now be the main subject (focal point) of the image. So glad you shared this beautiful plant with us.   Posted: 07/09/2026 00:52:03

Love the soft color palette and the diagonal flow of the buds and the background. The stem in the lower middle is a little strong, it could be lightened a bit. Beautiful image!   Posted: 07/10/2026 14:05:10