Charles Ginsburgh  

Old Bloom by Charles Ginsburgh

May 2021 - Old Bloom

About the Image(s)

Spring has sprung (how is that for being original), and the blooms are out here in the Bay Area. Now while the full and fresh blooms are nice I tend to gravitate toward the blooms that are past their prime for my photography, as they tend to be both unique and interesting. Here is such an example.

Here I used my Canon R6 mirrorless camera with an EF 100 mm f/2.8 macro lens with the following settings; f/8.0, 1/125 sec, ISO 100 to collect 46 slices. This seems like a lot of slices, but here I used an automatic feature in this new mirrorless camera which collected each shot and refocused for the next, in a seamless and rapid manner. Once I setup the shot and I activated the shutter (via a cable release), it took 2-3 seconds for the camera to automatically collect all 46 slices. The upside was that this was real easy while the downside I collected over 75 individual sets of stacks (on 30-50 images each) over the course of the morning shoot, and it took a fair amount of time (14 hrs. or so) to review, sort and stack this collection of stacked images. No rest for the wicked.

After stacking in Zerene Stacker I edited the image in Photoshop to highlight and showplace the main bloom.

This round’s discussion is now closed!
4 comments posted

 
Charlie, I read with great interest how you took this image. I am a new owner of the R6 and am just figuring out how to take advantage of all of the things it can do. I have not yet ventured into the world of stacking. I love the clarity that you got in this image, but do you feel that it is significantly better than what the 100mm lens will do on its own in one shot? That's what I typically use, and I have loved the results. - I agree that shooting a flower on the tail-end of its life cycle can give you a more interesting image than that from a bright, fresh flower. The colors you captured are wonderful.   Posted: 05/21/2021 07:44:23
Charles Ginsburgh   Charles Ginsburgh
(Group 63)
Generally, the difference between what I get with a single shot at f/20 and a stacked image varies with the size of the subject. The more the magnification, the less the impact the smaller apertures in impacting the depth of field. So when I shoot smaller subjects (roughly the size of a postage stamp), I find that stopping down (using smaller apertures) is less effective. This image, shot with my 100 mm macro lens, is on the border. In similar shots, I shot both a stack and tried to captured the subject in a single image. Both gave OK images, but there were a few places that the single shot exhibited some slightly soft areas, which the stacked version did not. In my vision of this image, the difference was significant. With larger subjects, the difference is less pronounced. With the f/22 images I often need to spend more time adjusting the background to be less distracting as well.

As an aside, I really feel that the Canon R5 / R6 mirrorless cameras represent a quantum leap forward in quality and features. Shooting with the R6 has changed my "behind the view finder" calculations as to the appropriate exposure triangle settings I need. I can shoot more handheld shots at much higher ISO settings and higher shutter speeds with little detriment to the image quality. I love this camera.   Posted: 05/21/2021 11:48:05
 
46 images in that short amount of time, times how many sets - the editing would be a nightmare for me as I sometimes struggle over just a few...

This is another great image you've shared. The colors, composition, background and texture are very pleasing to look at. Leaving the pot rim in the image grounds the flower; even the little weed on the edge of the pot on the right helps the balance.

Regarding the crisp texture of the flower petals - in addition to focus stacking you mention post processing to highlight and showplace the bloom. Are you using plug-ins with your post processing?   Posted: 05/22/2021 13:02:52
Very interesting. My own experience with stacking has used the technique on much smaller objects: where the DOF is so narrow that there is a big difference between a single shot, stopped down versus stacked.   Posted: 05/24/2021 08:14:19