Focus stacking in the wild

[Pa]

...works pretty well if you have a stationary subject:

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This is a seven-image stack with my Z6, 24-70S, and PlatyPod.

I had been meaning to photograph this batch of fungi for several days, but things kept getting in the way. By today they had deteriorated quite a bit.

 

[Palouse]

Nice! The OOF background really adds another dimension!

 

[Pa]

Nice! The OOF background really adds another dimension!

Thanks, Nick. I recorded the images somewhat manually simply by using the "touch focus and shoot" feature of the Z6.

 

[Pa]

P.S. I looked for the dedicated focus stacking thread we had going last winter but failed to find it. Which forum was it in?

 

[Allan]

Good job. As I have said before I like my Sony camera but miss focus stacking.

 

[Terri French]

Wonderful!! My goal was to experiment with focus stacking once I returned from vacation. We have wind forecast for several days, but I hope to be able to try it soon. I will try using the automatic built in focus stacking feature as well as the touch focus and shoot that you did. I did a little bit of manual focus stack shooting of a landscape on my vacation. But I haven't had a chance to blend them yet. It was on a morning walk and I was handholding. It will be interesting to see if photoshop can align the photos. If I get results like yours I will be thrilled. I think this is a very interesting subject. Too bad it was past it's prime, but it still looks great.

 

[Mike Buckley]

Such a natural appearance but with plenty of interest! This style is one of the best uses of focus stacking in my opinion, where the focus stacking is used to keep the subject in focus throughout but allowing at least the background and maybe the foreground to be out of focus.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I looked for the dedicated focus stacking thread

The following one wasn't started until February but I sure do recognize the guy that started it: https://www.nikoncafe.com/threads/show-your-focus-stacked-images.320867/

 

[Walter Rowe]

Booyah! Really nice Jim!

 

[Pa]

Good job. As I have said before I like my Sony camera but miss focus stacking.

I'm sure you can stack focus as well as this with your Sony. I didn't use the focus-shift feature on this.

Wonderful!! My goal was to experiment with focus stacking once I returned from vacation. We have wind forecast for several days, but I hope to be able to try it soon. I will try using the automatic built in focus stacking feature as well as the touch focus and shoot that you did. I did a little bit of manual focus stack shooting of a landscape on my vacation. But I haven't had a chance to blend them yet. It was on a morning walk and I was handholding. It will be interesting to see if photoshop can align the photos. If I get results like yours I will be thrilled. I think this is a very interesting subject. Too bad it was past it's prime, but it still looks great.

Thanks, Terri. I think you'll enjoy playing with this. My few tries with hand-held focus stacking were not successful.

Such a natural appearance but with plenty of interest! This style is one of the best uses of focus stacking in my opinion, where the focus stacking is used to keep the subject in focus throughout but allowing at least the background and maybe the foreground to be out of focus.

Thanks, Mike. That OOF background is always my goal in the wild, but is not always possible.

The following one wasn't started until February but I sure do recognize the guy that started it: https://www.nikoncafe.com/threads/show-your-focus-stacked-images.320867/

Thanks. I couldn't remember which forum we put it in.

Booyah! Really nice Jim!

Many thanks, Walter.

 

[Allan]

Jim, why did you not use focus stacking?

 

[Pa]

Jim, why did you not use focus stacking?

I did do focus stacking. I just didn't use the automatic focus-shift feature of the Z6. To me it was much easier just to use the rear screen in live view and touch the points that I wanted in focus. As you see, seven images was all it took to get a pretty good result.

 

[Mike Buckley]

I did do focus stacking. I just didn't use the automatic focus-shift feature of the Z6. To me it was much easier just to use the rear screen in live view and touch the points that I wanted in focus

Proof once again that it doesn't matter how you get the job done so long as you get it done.

 

[Mike Buckley]

You titled the thread, "Focus Stacking in the Wild." It just now occurred to me that if you saw my makeshift studio, you would say the same thing about my focus-stacked images.

 

[Bohdan]

nice...very nice...good job Jim

 

[PhilM_TX]

Wow, very nice indeed Jim!
Well done.

 

[Pa]

nice...very nice...good job Jim

Thanks, Bob.

Wow, very nice indeed Jim!
Well done.

Thanks, Phil. It's easy-peasy with the Z6 and PlatyPod.

 

[RonS]

Very nice Jim. I do that on occasion, taking the stacking images is much easier with the Z6, Z7. I have been using the focus shift feature.