Update - The yellow looks like powdery sunburst lichen or candle flame lichen. The pale blue-green looks like some type of shield lichen.
Today during a lull in the rain I got out into the yard with my macro gear. I spied this very small bit of moss that I think flaked off an overhead branch. It is about 2 cm wide. The bright yellow caught my eye and at this point I haven’t been able to ID anything growing, but I’ve set it aside to see how the colors change as it dries out a bit. There is definitely moss (darker green), but the yellow and pale green things could be a lichen or a bryophyte of some kind. I have several books so I’ll keep looking. Little worlds like this fascinate me like almost nothing else.
Specific Feedback Requested
How does the stack look? I am still playing and experimenting. f/14 is the middle of the aperture range for this lens.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: Yes
Lumix G9
Leica 45mm f/2.8 macro
f/14 | .4 sec | ISO 200 | 0/+/- focus bracketing | 4-step
Tripod
Lr to manage tones, clarity & texture, sharpening & NR. Chose 7 out of a 20 shot cycle. Zerene for a stack - this is a PMax. Ps for a slight crop and a tiny bit of Smart Sharpen.
Kris, I can’t help you with the ID. The wet moss and variations of growth is very interesting. You really had an eye out for a small scene, if this is only 2 cm. I can’t help you with the stacking part. I like the scene, and how it is surrounded with little brown rocks of different shades, making the eye draw into the moss.
Thanks Shirley. It takes a few hours or a couple of sessions for me to be able to ‘see’ again. I’ve trained my brain over the years to see very tiny things and microscapes. At first when all the snow is gone, it’s hard and looks like chaos, then I start to notice the small details. It’s definitely something I’ve worked on and practiced in my photography.
Very nice little micro jungle Kristen. Love the mix of bright colors and textures in such a small piece of “vegetation”. I wonder if a vignette or a bit of dodge and burn would help draw the eye even stronger towards the center. Especially the “large” rock at the bottom draws attention a bit from the moss and lichen.
The stack looks sharp and well stitched but f/14 should be diffraction-limited, especially on an m43 sensor. Try some test stacks, maybe even without artistic ambition, and see what something like f/3.5, f/4, or maybe f/5.6 will give you. Should give smoother backgrounds and probably more micro details.
