Macro — Page 3

Dennis January 27, 2012 1 Comment

Focus Stacking — Part 3

What Works, What Doesn’t

To further understand focus stacking and to compare the good, bad and ugly of Photoshop auto-merge, Helicon Focus and potentially other focus stacking software, I set out to capture sets of images to challenge the technique. I also spent a lot of time attempting to reduce or eliminate the haloing problem on the rattlesnake orchid image stacks. I tried dividing the image sets into smaller groups for stacking then combining the stacked images into another stack. That didn’t improve the image at all. [Read more…]

Dennis December 23, 2011 3 Comments

Focus Stacking

A Technique to Increase Depth of Field of an Image

Ever notice how little is in focus when taking close-up images, even with the lens set at f/22? At the closest focus distance of a 100mm macro lens of 12 inches, the depth of field is only .33 inches at f/22 with a full-frame sensor, and only .21 inches with a cropped sensor body. Well, there’s nothing to be done about the laws of physics, but there is a technique that can be used to increase the range of focus in digital images. Focus stacking is the merging of the sharp sections of multiple image captures of the same scene. I became interested in this technique as an avenue to increase the depth of sharpness in my macro images, but it can also be useful in landscape images when circumstances require. What I most desire from this technique is the ability to have a subject sharp from front to back while maintaining a pleasing out-of-focus background. [Read more…]

Dennis August 3, 2011 1 Comment

Costa Rica 2011 The Art of Biodiversity – Part 4

Bosque de Paz Ecolodge

This small lodge, located in a valley between the Poas Volcano and Juan Castro Blanco National Parks offers a diversity of subjects to photograph. The owners, Federico and Vanessa González-Pinto are working hard, and succeeding in, developing an ecological corridor linking the two nationally protected areas. They are amiable hosts and are truly concerned for the nature of Costa Rica. In addition to the variety of landscape opportunities of the cloud forest moss-covered trees and rushing streams, the place is teeming with hummingbirds. There is also an extensive collection of orchids located near the main building that hosts hundreds of orchids, and the owners sponsor orchid research supporting preservation efforts.

[Read more…]