The Darling Buds of July (Click for larger view)

I needed to produce a macro photograph for a competition, and

didn't have a macro lens. Well that part was simple I was able to

borrow one from a friend All I needed now was the photo. Well ...to

cut a long story short.. I grew frustrated with the fact that the macro

lens only seemed to be able to get a small portion of the subject in

sharp focus. So out of desperation I decided to try "Focus Stacking"

a technique I'd heard of but never tried. This is a combination of 12

shots processed in CS6 and my first attempt. You will be able to see

the results better in the larger view. Your thoughts and comments

are always appreciated. Thank You.

The clarity is absolutely amazing - every hair is visible - but there's something a little discombobulating about the picture as a whole. It seems to disconnect the flowers from the strong boke of its environment.. The "suddenness" of the buds against the background makes the cluster feel like a kind of decal, a 2-D object floating in 3-D space. I'm really not explaining myself very well but the photo is not an easy one to capture in words.

Pretty amazing -- a worthwhile experiment with an excellent outcome! I have been working on Macro for a couple of months with similar frustrations and no result like this!

l like it although l do not have experience on macro.regards.

Alf,

  Beautiful image with amazing details & colors.  Looks like you nailed it to me.  Take care, Patsy

You only have to remove the halo effect now! Only on two spots!

 

Cheers

 

PDE

Nice image with spot-on focus. You have captured them well.

Alf,

You handles the stacking well- next time you might want to try increasing f stop to around 16 at this distance and size for greater dof. You can always blur the bg then, or take another with shallow dof and overlay the flower on oof bg.

Would be easier and less time consuming - of course, you do need no wind and a tripod.

A flower macro?  Is this really you, Alf? ;-)  The stacking looks great and the image has your trademark detail.  Good stuff... Mike 

Alf, it is amazing to so clearly see the delicacy, veins, and dark edges of the petals and the probing hairs of the greenery.   This does justice to nature’s beautiful July offering.  The intensity of red against the green is gorgeous.  I love looking at the forms, reminding me of so many different creatures (some in the deep sea) that resemble this, yet species is unique, each entity unique.  The colors make me happy.

It is good to experiment..and although this is not your normal gender you have done an excellent job. You brought out detail that is not normally seen with the naked eye !. The framing and the colour combination are superb. Very well done, my friend !. Best regards.

Many Thanks Jack. I think I know what you mean, there is a kind of surreal quality about it, the close up view and detail kind of accentuates the impression.

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

SANDY

 

Sincere Thanks!  It was a lot easier than I had imagined A few simple steps in photoshop CS6.  I think the hard part is finding a suitable subject, with good lighting and no wind!  Then it's just a case of identifying the different depths and focal points to ensure front t back sharpness all over.

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

MEHMET

Many Thanks Mehmet. I had very little experience with macro before this also.

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

PATSY

 

Thank you very much for your thoughts and kind words!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

PIERRE

 

Many Thank for your thoughts and kind words!

 

Alf

 

CHARLES

 

Thank you very much!

 

Alf

 

GREG

 

Many Thanks for your thoughtful feedback much appreciated!

 

I did try f/16 on some single shots, but I have to be honest and say it didn't seem to much difference. Of course it may have made a difference with multiple shots.....that's something I'm going to have e experiment with.

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

MIKE

 

No It's not me!...they made me do it! lol

Well ....It was for a competition and I borrowed the lens. But I don't think I'll be giving up my landscapes any time soon in favour of macro!

 

Cheers Mike!

 

Alf

 

DONNA

 

Nature in detailed form can seem more strange and alien like than anything we can possible imagine. 

Great to hear from you Donna and I'm really pleased that you enjoyed viewing this one!

 

Thank you so much!

 

Alf

 

DIMITRIS

 

I have to admit it was a reluctant experiment, and I was kind of forced to try it because I was just so frustrated trying to get a decent macro image with a single shot!  Therefore it made it all the more rewarding when it all worked out right at last : - )

Sincere Thanks my Friend!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

 

 

 

wow so impressive Alf - I've never tried Focus Stacking but I just might after seeing this image. Fabulous result - best of luck  with your Competition!! Is this part of a Geranium flower or something different??

I have to agree with Mike.  I am such a huge fan of your landscapes that this caught me by surprise.  Having said that, I am NOT surprised that you created such a great result (remember - its the Indian, not the arrow). 

In the enlarged view, there appears to be is a disconnect on one of the fibers coming from the plant.  It is on the lower left quadrant of the flower between the two red petals.  The fiber comes down and is "disconnected" about half way.  Probably has to due with the multiple exposures during stacking.  I would not even mention it except that you said this was for a competition and this could possibly be noticed by a judge.

Excellent job as usual, Alf...

Cheers...

Jerry

 

Many Thanks for your interest and encouraging words!

Yes this is a budding Geranium, I am not very good with naming species or types of flowers, but my wife reliably informs me it's a type of Geranium : - )

Well worth trying the photo- stacking technique, it's not half as complicated as it sounds!

Cheers Gail!

 

Alf

 

JERRY

Thank you so much for your very generous comments!

I see the fibre that you have indicated and you are probably right it's a result of the photo-stacking processing. Oh well too late to change it now .....for the competition that is : -)

Cheers Jerry!

 

Alf

 

 

Indeed, this is off the beaten path for you.  Regardless, you've created a marvelous image.  I cannot conceive of the detail being sharper; it's as if you shot this photograph with the aid of an electron microscope.  The combination of dark magenta, shades of red and green, touches of brown, and ubiquitous white accents is a treat a viewer will not soon forget.  For whatever it's worth, I think I understand Jack's point about the relationship between the buds and the bokeh, but this does not hinder my appreciation for the image.

 

My best always,

michael

Sincere Thanks for your considered thoughts and kind words, they are fully appreciated as always!

I think I understand and appreciate Jacks comments too.  However there is a stem visible beneath the main head of the buds, albeit out of focus and blurred. I wonder if I had focused on this also it would have helped to tether the buds to earth to some degree.  I suspect though, that this action may have brought about a whole new set of problems, such as, other elements of the plant being in focus that I didn't want : - )

Thanks again Michael!

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

 

You are not the only one with focus issues using a macro lens.  I seem to have better luck using small aperture settings.

Remarkable capture Alf with excellent focus stacking technique, detail and composition! Good luck with the competition!

Many Thanks for your interest and thoughtful comments.  It will be interesting to see the competition results, it never fails to fascinate me : - )

Best Regards

 

Alf

and the red and green makes the image superb.

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words!

 

This was a bit of an experiment, which I'm pleased to say, worked out ok.

 

Best Regards

 

Alf

Only a handful of macro images ever done this well in my view, congratulations Alf, but also congrats on your amazing portfolio!