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Weekly Assignment #122: Stack It Up!
Nikolai
Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
Bug shooters, flower chasers and macro lovers been doing this trick for ages. Now it's time to try our own version of focus stacking.
The concept comes from a situation when you shoot wide open (i.e. extremely shallow DOF), yet you need to cover a rather large distance with your focus (10 or more times deeper than your wide-open DOF).
The trick is called focus stacking: you take the same image and only change the focus point ever so slightly. Then you combine the images in post.
As a simple subject you may set up a row of bottles (my favorite subject it seems) positioned in a way that the row goes away from the camera. Then you set your camera on a very sturdy tripod (remote/tethered shooting is recommended), open your lens wide, set your camera to a full manual, and start taking pictures with one bottle being in focus at one time. Then you combine the composite.
The easiest way to do that is using remote live view shooting (so nothing moves and you have complete control over the camera settings and focal point). If you don't have that option - do it manually, juts be very, VERY careful.
Once the images are captured, you need to "stack" them. If you have PS CS4, it can help to do it automatically. Otherwise - just load individual frames into layers and use masking.
Restrictions: at least 6 subjects; your SOOC DOF should be shallow enough to cover only ONE. Final composite should cover all.
Your entry should consist of:
The concept comes from a situation when you shoot wide open (i.e. extremely shallow DOF), yet you need to cover a rather large distance with your focus (10 or more times deeper than your wide-open DOF).
The trick is called focus stacking: you take the same image and only change the focus point ever so slightly. Then you combine the images in post.
As a simple subject you may set up a row of bottles (my favorite subject it seems) positioned in a way that the row goes away from the camera. Then you set your camera on a very sturdy tripod (remote/tethered shooting is recommended), open your lens wide, set your camera to a full manual, and start taking pictures with one bottle being in focus at one time. Then you combine the composite.
The easiest way to do that is using remote live view shooting (so nothing moves and you have complete control over the camera settings and focal point). If you don't have that option - do it manually, juts be very, VERY careful.
Once the images are captured, you need to "stack" them. If you have PS CS4, it can help to do it automatically. Otherwise - just load individual frames into layers and use masking.
Restrictions: at least 6 subjects; your SOOC DOF should be shallow enough to cover only ONE. Final composite should cover all.
Your entry should consist of:
- a SOOC frame of the nearest subject
- a SOOC frame of the farthest subject
- final composite
"May the f/stop be with you!"
0
Comments
Mug 1:
Mug 7:
Final Comp:
Places in order:
1. Wisconsin
2. Hoover Dam
3. Grand Canyon
4. Colorado
5. Minnesota
6. Fort Jackson, South Carolina
7. San Diego, California
Great entry, and exactly what's been needed!
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