Keith Au
September 2023 - Frog playing with Bugs
Original
About the Image(s)
This is a shot taken at a floating frog on a lily pad/pool.
At the first glance I did not find it too interesting. But when I zoomed in a bit, I see the many bugs on the floating flower petal, and maybe it's why the frog was like frozen there.
Not much was done during post-processing, just adding a little contrast and removing a couple sun reflection spots.
Any comments / suggestions for improvements are welcome.
Nikon D850 105mm/f2.8 macro lens
1/1600s f/6.3 iso@140 Handheld
Post-processing: Cropping and removing a few reflection spots using ACR & PS.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
11 comments posted
Great, fascinating subject, Keith!
I guess you know what I'll say though - it's not sharp on the vital spot, the frog's eye. The little bugs are nicely sharp, so it was just a matter perhaps of moving slightly in the short time between the camera focussing and the shutter firing.
I don't know which Nikon you are using, but if it does focus bracketting, I suggest you try it for shots like this. Not for doing a focus stacking necessarily, just for taking several shots with a small change in focus distance each time. Of course if the bracket is suitable, you could stack them in Helicon or whatever. But I often set my camera to take 4 shots with a medium step length, then afer transferring them to my computer, I either stack them, or I select the one whose focus point I like best, and delete the other 3. It's a bit like burst mode for macro! Posted: 09/07/2023 14:38:22
I guess you know what I'll say though - it's not sharp on the vital spot, the frog's eye. The little bugs are nicely sharp, so it was just a matter perhaps of moving slightly in the short time between the camera focussing and the shutter firing.
I don't know which Nikon you are using, but if it does focus bracketting, I suggest you try it for shots like this. Not for doing a focus stacking necessarily, just for taking several shots with a small change in focus distance each time. Of course if the bracket is suitable, you could stack them in Helicon or whatever. But I often set my camera to take 4 shots with a medium step length, then afer transferring them to my computer, I either stack them, or I select the one whose focus point I like best, and delete the other 3. It's a bit like burst mode for macro! Posted: 09/07/2023 14:38:22
Yes, looks like the focus was on the bugs--which is great, but at f6.3, it wasn't enough DOF to capture Mr. Frogg. His eye is critical in the capture, even if the rest of him isn't sharp. What's odd is that there are two separate planes in focus separated by one out of focus plane. Not sure how that would happen unless sharpened in post. I'm afraid I'm not being much help on any of these this month! Posted: 09/07/2023 17:47:46
Yes, I hadn't noticed, the back of is right eye is sharp, too. Looks like a merge of 2 images taken with the focus points too far apart, but Keith doesn't mention a second image. My other thought was the left eye is blurred through movement, but if the shutter speed was 1/1600 sec, that's not an explanation.
Puzzle! Posted: 09/08/2023 08:31:40
Puzzle! Posted: 09/08/2023 08:31:40
Thanks, Stuart and Carol. Great inputs.
Yes. I went back and checked the original image's focus point (single point focus). It actually was on the body (the belly) of the frog. As Carol said, the f/6.3 does not allow sufficient DOF to show a sharp right eye; but it is close to the same plane as those bugs. So some of the bugs look sharp.
I don't think I see 'focus bracketing' function on my D850.
So I think only a bigger DOF or focus stacking could improve
this picture's presentation. I was too excited finding those small bugs.. However, once I zoomed in to the head, the eye's out-of-focus issue really stands out.
A good lesson to my experience in choosing what to show the audience.
Posted: 09/09/2023 20:59:28
Yes. I went back and checked the original image's focus point (single point focus). It actually was on the body (the belly) of the frog. As Carol said, the f/6.3 does not allow sufficient DOF to show a sharp right eye; but it is close to the same plane as those bugs. So some of the bugs look sharp.
I don't think I see 'focus bracketing' function on my D850.
So I think only a bigger DOF or focus stacking could improve
this picture's presentation. I was too excited finding those small bugs.. However, once I zoomed in to the head, the eye's out-of-focus issue really stands out.
A good lesson to my experience in choosing what to show the audience.
Posted: 09/09/2023 20:59:28
My apologies.. On Nikon D850, they use the term 'focus shifting photography' instead of 'focus bracketing'. In fact, I have tried that function before and worked well.
What I need to do is to think / plan ahead how to shoot an object's image in order to achieve the result I look for. Posted: 09/09/2023 21:09:48
What I need to do is to think / plan ahead how to shoot an object's image in order to achieve the result I look for. Posted: 09/09/2023 21:09:48
Great, do try the function out and see what you get.
Focus bracketting with a macro rail is great, but it takes some seconds between shots and so the subject must be stationary, and the camera on a tripod. Bracketting done by the camera can occur very quickly assuming the shutter speed isn't slow, so hand-held brackets of even slowly moving subjects are possible. But even if it moves too much, one frame might have the focus point you had really wanted anyway! Posted: 09/10/2023 02:12:44
Focus bracketting with a macro rail is great, but it takes some seconds between shots and so the subject must be stationary, and the camera on a tripod. Bracketting done by the camera can occur very quickly assuming the shutter speed isn't slow, so hand-held brackets of even slowly moving subjects are possible. But even if it moves too much, one frame might have the focus point you had really wanted anyway! Posted: 09/10/2023 02:12:44
Good point, Stuart.. Will keep that in mind.
I think, if using the in-camera focus bracketing, we could also screen out those shifted ones during post-processing, hopefully that helps minimize their impact to the outcome. Posted: 09/11/2023 12:55:02
I think, if using the in-camera focus bracketing, we could also screen out those shifted ones during post-processing, hopefully that helps minimize their impact to the outcome. Posted: 09/11/2023 12:55:02
Your Nikon might be different, but in my Olly, if you select focus stacking in the camera, it takes all the images into the stack, and you can't weed out any that you decide you don't want to be in that merged final image. However, my Olly keeps all the images in the bracket even if I selected stacking as well, so I can always process them again in Helicon, when I can weed out as needed. Posted: 09/12/2023 15:33:44
My recollection (from my last use of the function) was that I can see all the number of images I specified and then load them into PS, where I can eliminate any one image(s) if desired - prior to the PS merging. Posted: 09/26/2023 14:44:18
Hi Keith, not much to add to the conversation on sharpening the eye. I am curious if you could get a sharp close up of the bugs, that definitely draw my eyes towards them. Posted: 09/16/2023 17:17:48
Hi Keith- I don't have much to add either. I would think hand held on a live animal would be difficult to focus bracket, and perhaps a different f stop like f/8 or even f/11 would get the whole frog more in focus with one shot. Great capture of the bugs, but they are a bit creepy! Colors are fantastic. Posted: 09/28/2023 09:53:16