January 2, 2015 – I tried out Focus Stacking yesterday. I used Helicon Remote to control the camera via computer software and Helicon Focus to blend the photos together. I am happy with the result. I just have to get better at lighting my photo subject and with getting more interesting subjects.
My first subjects were Lego figures. They were also my first subject when shooting my first Macro photos. The Canon 100mm Macro lens immediately shows you the shallow depth of field typical of Macro lens on the head of these small miniature figures. Hence the need for focus stacking.
Focus Stacking is a method where on bring in focus different parts of an object and then combining the photos to create one clear and focused photo. The Egyptian figure to the left looks huge. That’s the reason for getting a Macro Lens, to have the object of your photo appear large, or at least at it’s actual size. Since the object is as big as the sensor taking the photo, the object therefore takes up most of the frame of the photo. That also includes details usually lost to the human eye.
The best part of Macro Photography is bringing small objects into a larger view. The things you see, that you usually do not see is bot fascinating and fun.
The second photo shows my iPhone ear buds as placed on a plastic black jar lid. It shows small dusty hairs on the ear buds. In fact, since beginning macro photography I have noticed how much dust most things have on them. Dust which you don’t really see with the human eye. I tell my wife that my equipment has a ‘protective layer’ on them.
I ordered a DC power cable for my camera. When doing macro photography, I have to use the camera’s Live View which uses the battery at a much quicker pace. I used up one battery in less than half an hour of shooting. I will also need to get some soft lighting on my subjects.
I hope to improve the sharpness of my photos with lots of practice.