Another Focus-Stacked Damselfly Image. This time I tried shooting stopped down to f/22. I usually do not stop down that far for stacked images, but I thought I would give it a try just to see what happens. For this image the out of focus background was further away from the subject damselfly which helped because of the f/22 f/stop giving a larger depth of field for that focal length. At f/22 with 22 images, it was probably overkill for this image, but if I needed them, I would have them. Better than needing them and not having them. Again I used a Sigma 150mm macro lens with a Canon 1.4X Teleconverter giving me a focal length of 210mm. This Damselfly and Water Drops did not have as much depth to the leaves & water drops so I did not need as many as my previous post especially with the f/22 f/stop.
Wow, cool image, Reed!
Thanks Eliza! They are fun to do! Hope all is well!
Yes, thanks, so far, so good! 🙂
I’ve not heard of anyone doing focus stacking with as tiny an aperture as f/22. Good to hear that it worked out for you.
Hi Steve. It depends on how close the background is to your main subject. Here the background bushes were far enough away to still be a smooth looking background. Also using a 150mm macro with a 1.4x teleconverter brought the focal length to 210mm which also helped keep the background smooth looking. I probably did not even need 22 images, probably could have the same look with half that. Thanks again!
Beautiful, Reed! I need to try my hand at rain and dew drops! 🙂
Thanks Donna! They are fun to do and Photoshop does most of the work! In the older days in my Commercial Studio I was using film with 4×5 & 8×10 view cameras and used the swings & tilts to get maximum depth of field. Or select focus areas for sharp or soft areas. In the digital age now it makes getting the effects you want a lot easier and you have unlimited control of what you are photographing!
That’s a lot of images but it does look good.
I tend to overdo the amount of focus points needed! But it is always better to have too many than too few!
Very interesting shot! 🙂 so beautiful !
Thanks Alexa! They are fun to do! Especially if you want more depth of field for the main subject and still have clean smooth backgrounds!