It was fascinating to come to this topic after the revision and see the progression. The water droplets are simply mesmerizing. And though I do see the beauty in the full image (with stick etc.) I think the cropped image is breathtaking. I think both images serve purposes, just depends on your audience!
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Thank you, Max. In cases like this where the sky was overcast, stopping down would then have required too much flash, probably resulting in rather artificial, yellowish coloring. Also, the subjects were so small (the bug was half a centimeter long ) that even at, say, f22, I would not have got focus on so much of the detail. This is where the stacking is helpful, on really small, often scattered, subjects, especially in low light. Then, because there was so much shiny surface which could have created distracting reflections, the diffuser was essential here. I had the flash set on Manual at 1/32 sec which was enough, but not too much. As for shooting wider, I was gradually getting closer, but if you get too close, the diffuser risks damaging or scaring the subject. In this case, the insect moved after this shot. In the final analysis, I just got lucky, in particular with the exposure, which I often find a bit of a lottery!