Drove to a near by park on weekend morning. Once I got to the park just outside the city, everything was covered in frost due to Fog and cold temperatures. This was unexpected as at my home only 15 minutes away there was no fog or frost.
Specific Feedback Requested
I’m using this time close to home to learn some new techniques. This is my first attempt at a difficult focus stack using Helicon focus. In the past I’ve stacked simple images using photoshop. I realized later that I missed one small area at the bottom of the frame. Wonder if the stack helps or hinder the image
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
stack of 6 images focused manually and stacked using Helicon Focus
Gorgeous light and mood in this image, you were fortunate to have these conditions. I like the composition, I think it is nicely balanced, and has a nice sense of depth with some interesting layers. I especially like the repetition of the small frosty bush in the right side center.
Kudos to you for trying out some new techniques, the focus stack here looks like it was executed well. I sometimes have problems with the very bottom of images even at f16, since the select-able focus points in my Canon body don’t cover the entire screen, and I keep forgetting to compose wider than I need. Aesthetically, I like what the stack has done in the foreground and mid-ground, but I think you may get some varied opinons on the background. Some folks will like it sharp, and others will say the background should be softer and more diffuse to place more emphasis on the foreground bush. My personal opinion is that the hanging tree limbs in the ULC are sharp enough that it draws attention away from the foreground.
Nine times out of ten, or more, I prefer a tack sharp image from front to back; kudos on experimenting with focus blending. For me, this has that crisp, cold, morning feel that is so special, and I think it would be even better with that bottom of the frame area in focus.
