The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I am learning how to use my macro lens. The gardener knocked this off when he went by. I decided it would be fun to try stacking. Right now I am practicing on objects in my yard. No trips are required.
Specific Feedback
This was edited to resemble a painting. I was working toward a watercolor look without wandering too far away from realism.
Technical Details
Sony a7iv, on a tripod with a macro lens. ISO 100, f/16, 4 sec.
Sixteen images were stacked in Zerene and processed in LR & PS, using filters from Topaz Lab and Nic Color Evex. to achieve the painterly look.
Barbara, it does remind me of a rose. Really neat plant, and the BG really works nice. I also like the square crop. I think you are coming along nicely with your macro lens.
Excellent!! That’s the way to go – practice at home to be ready when you travel!! (Like to the neighbor’s yard…)
I like the subtly artistic look here, and wish I had a better way to describe it. Straight photography can certainly qualify as art – can – but on average doesn’t. So I applaud experimenting with techniques to make straight photography more interesting and artistic. I think you would have a winner here either way – straight or enhanced. You have a good subject, interesting and in good light, with great detail and color. I think the image is a great success!!
But I have some provocative questions. With f/16 why so many steps?
4 sec suggests indoors in diffuse window light. That’s fine – you have excellent lighting here. But when you do the stack do you scan through to eliminate the ones that are focused too close or too far away? I would expect to have just a few images at f/16 for a subject like this. Why not go to more like f/8? Sometimes you will want to blur the BG and then will need much wider apertures. Most macro lenses are not at their best wide open – inside is a good chance to explore much wider apertures, too. (My Canon 100mm shows a lot of CA wide open if I have bright light on some feature.)
Not to sound discouraging – keep practicing and posting!!
Thanks to both of you, @Shirley_Freeman and @Diane_Miller, for your encouragement. I realize 16 to stack was over kill. I am using focus peaking, but I am afraid to trust it. I will try cutting back and using f/8. Please keep pushing me to improve my technique. When I am ready to travel down the street, I might know what I am doing.
I think you’re good to explore the whole neighborhood – and then some!
Focus peaking may work well for you – this image certainly looks excellent! But I’d want to test it carefully. On my Canon R5, it is not accurate at long distances with a telephoto lens. It thinks everything from maybe 200 ft to infinity is equally sharp. I haven’t tried it for macro work.
I don’t know your camera (and apologies if I’ve said this before – who can keep track?) but the simplest way to get a stack (if you don’t have focus bracketing/stepping in the camera) is to set manual focus and physically move the focus ring on the lens to increment from the closest point to the farthest. Sturdy tripod, of course. That will be very tiny movements. Start a little ahead of the nearest and go farther than you think you’ll need and inspect and delete the unneeded ones in LR.
You will often find a need in focus stacking to soften a BG with a wider aperture, so explore that too. Wider apertures will need tinier increments of focus, and many lenses are not at their best wide open.
Diane, I have tried to follow your suggestion since taking this picture. I can see I will have to practice and practice before taking this show on the road. Thanks.
Barbara: This looks good to me and since I rarely stack I will absolutely defer to Diane regarding that. We have some similar succulents in our garden and they can be marvelous subjects and I would expect especially suitable for a stack even outdoors since they’re pretty much impervious to wind. I do use the focus peaking on my A7RIII on macro subjects and find it works well. If you have the Sony 90mm FE macro you ought to get a magnified view of your subject when you engage the manual focus ring which would let you be even more precise. With a stack that might be tedious but in a controlled environment like you describe here you could do it. Also when I use my FE 70-200 for macro it shows a little graphic scale in the viewfinder designating the relative focus point. I use that to kind of standardize how much I change the focus for each step. Well done here and I applaud your persistence and progress. >=))>
Bill, I do have the 90mm FE macro and I use the magnified view with the focus peaking. I am learning how many shots I need to get enough and not way more than I need. Your encouragement is appreciated.
