Commons:Photography critiques/June 2012

June 2012

Polytrichum juniperinum

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  Polytrichum juniperinum
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  f/45, manual focus, still not very crisp.

The image above is my first attempt at focus-stacking. Are there any obvious mistakes i've made? Any hints, tips or tricks? Thanks in advance. Kleuske (talk) 13:27, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

• Were you trying to get one capsule in focus or the whole bunch? None of them seem particularly sharp (see File:Polytrichum.juniperinum.female.jpg for a small but sharp pic). Looking at the EXIF data, your choice of lens (300mm) and aperture (5.6) seem designed to minimise depth of field. Is this one of those "macro" zooms? A real macro lens would help and are usually very sharp. You could try f8 or f11 to get a higher initial depth-of-field to minimise any need for (or as much use of) stacking. Try even smaller apertures too to compare the compromise with diffraction problems vs DoF. When taking the pic outdoors, a tiny amount of wind can move the subject enough to blur or be out of focus. You might try to shield the subject from wind or else take indoors if possible/ethical. What software are you using to stack? How many shots did you combine? I've only ever tried stacking images taken indoors but it is possible to get really crisp photos. Colin (talk) 15:27, 8 June 2012 (UTC)

I combined two shots, one only of the pod in front, the other comprises the rest. Taking stuff indoors would not only be unethical, but illegal so that's no option (nature reserve). I'd like to keep the "boswachters" (errm.. gamekeepers, forestwardens... somesuch) on my side. The f-numbers _are_ a good one and i did not pay enough attention to that. Other pitures (see above) i took while paying attention came out better and i can go to f/45, light allowing. The lens is a Tamron 70/300mm with macro and it wasn't very expensive. It's great for getting insects since you do not have to get so close. In fact you can't. Perhaps an investment in a better lens should be considered. First SLR i've had since chemical times and i'm still getting used to it. Thanks for the input. Kleuske (talk) 20:26, 8 June 2012 (UTC)