Macro Shots

[Mike4AU]

Zinnia #1



Zinnia #2

This is 15 stacked images.




#3 Geranium Pods

Shot with 68mm extension tubes. Eleven stacked images.

[bp2007]

Very nice, Mike. :)

So first is not stacked or is it stacked too?

Did you use Sigma 105mm?

Did you use focus rail?

[Mike4AU]

bp, thanks. First shot is not a stack. I did use a focus rail on the stacked shots. I got it from a guy on ebay...I think he lives in NY.

Yes, I used my Sigma 105. It does a nice job.

Another shot...Zinnia 3...not stacked and no extra magnification with extension tubes.

[Tigerkn]

:bowing: very nice Mike :bowing:

[django1]

What's a stack?

[Tigerkn]

Answer from a rookie:
Multiple images taken under difference exposure (dark + normal + bright) with camera on tripod using timer/remote control then sandwich/stack them into one image.

What's a stack?

[PhenomeNhan]

Sweet! How'd you get the black background like that?

[Tigerkn]

I will let the Pro answer to that question since I do not know myself :)

As far as I know PP (Post Production) using photoshop has 50% +/- to almost every perfect image you see.

Nhan,
Some Dude stacked 120 images into one and it looks sick. I do not want to mess up Mike's Macro post so I do not want to post picture here. I will email it to you.

Sweet! How'd you get the black background like that?

[bp2007]

What's a stack?

Answer from a rookie:
Multiple images taken under difference exposure (dark + normal + bright) with camera on tripod using timer/remote control then sandwich/stack them into one image.

Kevin: Good attempt. :)

Focus stacking is putting together many pictures taken with different parts of the object in focus. This is very useful in Macro photography as depth of field (DOF) is very shallow, so you take many picture with different part of the object in focus and put them together to get the whole picture in focus. For example, Mike's #2 picture in this thread, which a stacked image of 15 pictures. It might help to illustrate the concept, if Mike posts some of the pictures he used for the final image. :)

Similar thing with different exposure level, is called High Dynamic Range Imaging (HDRI), where you take many pictures with different exposure level (typically in the range of +/- 2 or 3 EV stops) and put them together to show very high dynamic range in the scene.

Hope this helps. :)

[bp2007]

Sweet! How'd you get the black background like that?

Easiest way to do that is to use colored foam/poster board for this. You can always carry a few of these for use as background when needed. :)

[bp2007]

bp, thanks. First shot is not a stack. I did use a focus rail on the stacked shots. I got it from a guy on ebay...I think he lives in NY.

Yes, I used my Sigma 105. It does a nice job.

Another shot...Zinnia 3...not stacked and no extra magnification with extension tubes.

Very nice. Quite sharp in fact. :)

[Mike4AU]

Thanks for all the kind words.

BP nailed the focus stacking stuff...and the HDRI stuff.

I used black velvet for the BG. I started off using black foam core board, but it is not a deep enough black for my tastes and sometimes it shows glare spots.

There are other ways to get a black BG, but this is the easiest one that I know about.

[Mike4AU]

PS, when I was visualizing a shot of the yellow zinnia I figured that its color would be a very high contrast with the black BG...and that is exactly what happened.