The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like the blue and green shades with a warmer tone. The shapes of the grape hyacinths fascinate me. I still have a long way to go with focus stacking. This is the first time I have worked at ground level with the subject. I am glad the neighbors could not see me.
Creative direction
It is another in my collection of “yard” macro images. I want the little bells to toll the beauty to be found in the small things around us.
Specific Feedback
All are welcome, but I am especially interested in the visual appeal of the image and the success or failure of the focus stacking.
Technical Details
Sony a7iv with a 2.8/90 macro lens on a tripod
ISO 800, f/8, 1/640 sec.
Fourteen images were processed in Zerne Stack. Post-processing: LR, PS – Topaz DeNoise, TK9 luminosity masking,
I was flat on my stomach, trying to focus in small enough increments to cover the whole image. I still have great difficulty ensuring I have sufficient frames to cover the entire subject. I don’t think I quite did this time. The outside edges of the blossoms are soft. It started raining, so I had to call it quits for the rest of the day.
I have removed the noise in the BG as suggested by @Kris_Smith and @Dennis_Plank. I am grateful for their very helpful comments about focus stacking.
OMG Barbara that’s too funny. I have dozens of folders in Lightroom going back over a decade just called “Yard macros” or “Yard stuff”. It’s amazing what you can find without traveling very far. These little bells sing that out loudly. I love hyacinth and especially the grape variety - such intense color!! This is a very nice cluster - so clean and fresh.
The edge of the photo shows artifacts that come with the stacking process sometimes - easy to crop out. Curious to know if this is a PMax image - it shows a lot of noise that a DMap doesn’t produce. I often will retouch a DMap stack with some PMax details where needed. This gives me a much softer TIF in the end and with far less noise. Sometimes I find the contrast in a PMax too crunchy if you follow. I prefer a softer, less contrasty presentation for these kinds of shots, but that’s just personal preference. I like your treatment of the background.
Hi Barbara. I like the cluster a lot, though I think I’m seeing some areas in it that don’t look quite in focus. Sometimes focus stacks can take a fair amount of pretty tedious tough up zoomed in quite a ways so you can see what you’re doing. I am seeing an awful lot of noise in the background as @Kris_Smith mentioned which seems a bit strange given the iso you used-must be the stacking somehow causing it.
Thank you both for your helpful evaluations. I do see the artifact at the edges that @Kris_Smith mentions. I don’t know what PMax is. I see the noise in the background that both of you mention. What can I do about it? @Dennis_Plank I was afraid that I did not get everything in focus, especially around the edges. I am trying to keep track as I do the focusing to be systematic so I don’t miss any areas. I haven’t figured that out yet.
Hi Barbara. I don’t use it myself, but some people use a focusing rail and physically adjust the distance from the subject which gives them great control. I tend to use a moderated small aperture (f/11-f/20) and the smallest focus increments I can make with my klutzy fingers. Then I’ll do multiple stacks. The real problem is wind, which is rarely completely absent.
When I reallyneeded to get a shot for a project, I’ve used a high shutter speed, burst mode for the shots, and just fired away while continuously changing the focus during a lull in the wind. With 8 frames/second or whatever it was on that camera, it actually did work.
Hey Barbara - Dennis is right about the focusing rail since it appears that your Sony camera doesn’t have a focus bracketing function. Whenever I get lazy and don’t use auto bracketing, opting to select areas of focus myself, I almost invariably miss something. You could be more systematic about it and manually step your lens from the front area of focus to the back, which is what auto focus bracketing does. So that may help.
PMax and DMap are the two align and stack methods used to produce a final image. If you run Zerene you’ll see them under the Stack menu - stack DMap, stack PMax or Stack Both. I usually stack both and then use the DMap image as my base when retouching. Retouching can often get rid of the stack artifacts you see at the bottom of your image if you use one of your original images as your source for the pixel information. Retouching can also add details you want that might be missing or smudgy in a DMap by using the PMax stack as the source for your pixels.
There’s a long thread in the discussion area that might help you with future stacks - Focus Stacking
