# stacked flower shot



## Overread (Jun 16, 2008)

Well I have seen some great results with photo stacking with insects (how they get the little beggers to stays still so long is a mystery - though I hear this thing called "early morning" helps)
Anyway I originally was not going to stack this shot in the field, and then as I reviewed the shot thought - heck why not - so I took another to stack. As a result I was using a fine aperture, f25, as I was trying to get the whole flower in focus. Were I to repeat I would use a wider aperture and stack more shots together.

Taken with: canon 400D and sigma 70-300mm f4-4.6 DG macro





At: f25, ISO 100, 2sec.
link to larger: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3521/3234449161_ebd20fdd4b_o.jpg

Comments and advice welcome = thanks


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## tpe (Jun 16, 2008)

Wow you managed to stack in the feild that is impressve. I have tryed it bur rarely, and then only when i have somewere to rest my hand relative to the subject. Yes go down in f stop, at 25 you are probably getting a horrid amound of diffraction blurring, and on that lens i wouldnt go over 16 even when not stacking. If you are on a tripod then i guess  a focus rail is a help. But if you can do it hand held then all the better. You might want to look for some programs out there, helicon focus, combinez and ImageJ, the last two are free and the last one needs a plugin, but i forgot what it is called. For the last one with the right plugin you can also do astronomical shots that might be interesting. Great work, and an amazing result for the equipment used.

tim


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## Bifurcator (Jun 19, 2008)

Sweet image!  That brown lacy fringe looking stuff looks mighty interesting!  If that bush is in your garden or easily accessible I think it would be interesting to something more with that.


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## tirediron (Jun 20, 2008)

Well done.


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## LaFoto (Jun 20, 2008)

What does "stacked" mean???
Is it more than one exposure layed over another (or more than one)? Like in the creation of HDR?

This asked, let me say that whatever you did: the outcome is of wonderful beauty! Not only is the flower in itself inherently beautiful, but the way you photographed it is beautiful, too.


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## Battou (Jun 20, 2008)

Overread said:


> (how they get the little beggers to stays still so long is a mystery - though I hear this thing called "early morning" helps)



FPS + big number = stacked buggy (I think)


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## LaFoto (Jun 20, 2008)

Battou said:
			
		

> FPS + big number = stacked buggy (I think)



:scratch: ?


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## Battou (Jun 20, 2008)

LaFoto said:


> Battou said:
> 
> 
> > Overread said:
> ...



I'm opperating on an assumption here (bare with me on this one) I assume Photo stacking is similar to HDR only with out the Exposure varyation but, slight focus varyation using multiple photos to get all of the subject in focus without sacrificing bokeh. 

Bugs move around a lot, so taking multiple photos at the same angle is more difficult, High FPS can mean the difference between four or five stackable shots to two or maybe three taken during that brief moment the bug stops moving.


Any one who knows the truth, If my assessment is wrong please feel free to correct me, I'm guessin here.


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## Overread (Jun 20, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments all! 

Battou is right - its 2 shots taken with different focusing points and then put into different layers in the same photoshop file = then I use a layer mask to remove the blurred sections from one and revel the infocus sharp areas of the other. Idealy I would use a wide aperture and stack several shots, rather then f25 which get almost everything in focus anyway.

As for bugs I think the real trick is mornings when they are warming up and not moving (or being lucky and finding one resting) and then being very quick with shots - the trick being to change the foucs quick - it might be possible on the high end cameras to shoot a long burst of shots and just rotate the focusing wheel at the same time - and then in pp pick out the best, but it might be too patchy a method if you spin the ring too quick and the other way it might end up with having to stake dozens of shots.


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## Battou (Jun 20, 2008)

Overread said:


> Thanks for the compliments all!
> 
> Battou is right - its 2 shots taken with different focusing points and then put into different layers in the same photoshop file = then I use a layer mask to remove the blurred sections from one and revel the infocus sharp areas of the other. Idealy I would use a wide aperture and stack several shots, rather then f25 which get almost everything in focus anyway.
> 
> As for bugs I think the real trick is mornings when they are warming up and not moving (or being lucky and finding one resting) and then being very quick with shots - the trick being to change the foucs quick - it might be possible on the high end cameras to shoot a long burst of shots and just rotate the focusing wheel at the same time - and then in pp pick out the best, but it might be too patchy a method if you spin the ring too quick and the other way it might end up with having to stake dozens of shots.



I'm going to have to try that, Yesterday I went threw a roll and a half on a lunar moth just to make sure I got the focus right from a few different angles several shots per angle at a fairly shallow DOF (due in part to lighting).


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## Overread (Jun 20, 2008)

Its fiddly sometimes to get the right section in focus and I find you do need to make sure there is some overlap with the sharpness between shots:
as for macro HDR
http://nocroppingzone.blogspot.com/2008/04/hdr-macro.html
some really first class macro advice in that blog as well - definatly well worth reading


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## caspertodd (Jun 20, 2008)

You did a great job with the "stacking"!  This photo looks very vivid and sharp.  I really like the droplets of water on the flower.  I have to admit I had never heard of stacking until this post.  Very cool!


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## Overread (Jun 20, 2008)

As people are interested here are the 2 shots I worked from to get the stacked shot.










Like I said I was using a very fine aperture for these whilst normally you would work with something much wider and stack a few more shots - more shots means more time in post production, but the bonus of being able to use apertures as wide as you can on your lense .


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