The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Another pair of hedgehog flowers from yesterday. Besides the bubble gum color they also pop open quickly and then fade. Sadly both of these beauties are almost completely withered this morning. There are a few more buds remaining that will bear close scrutiny.
Specific Feedback
This is my first stack using Helicon Focus. All insights and brutal honesty appreciated.
I thought about cleaning up some of the detritus trapped by the spikes but opted to leave them as part of the natural scene. Is the extra debris too distracting?
Technical Details
Sony A7RIII
Sony FE 70-200 f2.8 GM-II @ 133mm
ISO 400, 1/125 @ f8, 17 image stack
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Looks great, Bill! There’s so much detail in the “background” spikes that the bits of debris don’t stand out, with the possible exception of the stick (bottom left). I like how you’ve filled the frame with the cacti. If you’re planning to “clean up” the cacti, I hope you have a good biological/medical tweezer on hand.
A beautiful composition, Bill and the detritus doesn’t bother me at all-you won’t see me sticking my fingers in there to pull it out.
I downloaded this and looked at it at 200% in PS to see if I could find anything that looked like a stacking issue. I found a few, but they are almost invisible and I’d most certainly be satisfied with this image. However, since you asked, I’m attaching a copy with the areas that look just slightly weird circled. As I’d expect, most of them are at points of the petals.
These buds are beautiful, Bill. You have totally inspired me to give Helicon another try. I have failed miserable at stacking with it in the past. When I viewed your image close up I did not see anything, but looking at what @Dennis_Plank presented I could see what he was talking about. Think I am going to need stronger glasses. Really nicely done!
Bill, I think the delicate nature of the flowers is beautifully accented by the BG of cacti. The shades of green with the pinks is stricking. Does your camera allow focus bracketing. My Sony a7iv dosn’t and I am frustrated by the resuts I get when I try to focus stack in Zerne. I wonder if Helicon would be better.
Barbara: I’m using a Sony A7R3 so its an older iteration of your camera and so no focus bracketing. I adjust the focus in the magnified view with very small incremental changes. Of course moving the focus point within the frame is tedious but once I find the near and far point it’s pretty easy. Something else that might be helping is the incredible sharpness of the 70-200 GM-II. I had the G-1 and upgraded despite the significantly higher cost but this is a superior lens.
Hi Bill,
I guess the Helicon software has what it needs, eh? This is another lovely image. For whatever reason (maybe the shape of the blossom on the right?) it doesn’t quite grab me as much as your other post this week.
I agree that the debris doesn’t matter given all the details in the bg. I shot a tide pool scene of anemones where removing broken shell bits took an hour but paid off. I don’t think that’s the case here.
Bill, thanks for explaining your technique. I have tried focusing manually from near to back, but when I stack the shots I get ghosting. It is subtle but noticable. I have everything locked down on the tripod and the subjectd is held in a clamp so I don’t see how anything is moving. I have just been trying to get everything with an f/22 and long exposure because I don’t know what to do with multiple shots to prevent the ghosting.
