Phalaenopsis Mini Mark and Focus Stacking

[ronaldhanko]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

I've been trying the photo stacking with mixed results so far.
Should I be separating the focus points by a certain amount?
I have years of experience with macro photography, but this is new to me and very exciting.
Where can I learn more?

Hi Connie,
Did you look on the site that's listed with the photo (the download site)? They've got some good info there. I think one of the keys is using a tripod, so that the photos are as much alike as possible, and I should add that you have to do some cropping when you're done. I'm not quite sure why, but the process (using CombineZM) leaves a border that reverses the edge of the photo. As far as a suggestion to help, I've found that the command "Reverse Order" sometimes gives a better result. Again I don't know why, but it seems that the order of the photos does make a difference. I've not learned all the options but you can do a lot of fiddling around while your pictures are in the program.

[Connie Star]

Interesting. I have a heavy duty tripod and a Canon 100mm Macro lens (also a 50mm macro). In my few tries so far, I've started the focus from the closest point and slightly increased the distance with each subsequent shot. Maybe I should do it the other way around? Or, I guess reverse stadking would accomplish the same thing?

[Connie Star]

Ron, I like your photos a lot. I take it you are into paphs and phrags?
I'm new to orchids, but have been a photographer (briefly professional) for 40 years, specializing in macro, but I never heard of macrostacking before. I guess because I'm not much of a computer person.

[ronaldhanko]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

Ron, I like your photos a lot. I take it you are into paphs and phrags?
I'm new to orchids, but have been a photographer (briefly professional) for 40 years, specializing in macro, but I never heard of macrostacking before. I guess because I'm not much of a computer person.

Hi,
I'm really into miniature orchids and especially masdevallias and pleurothallids, though I've grown and grow a bit of everything. I've also been doing photography for nearly 40 years, but never professionally, and I heard of focus stacking only very recently and that through this board where the link was given to the site I mentioned.

[ronaldhanko]

Originally Posted by Connie Star

Interesting. I have a heavy duty tripod and a Canon 100mm Macro lens (also a 50mm macro). In my few tries so far, I've started the focus from the closest point and slightly increased the distance with each subsequent shot. Maybe I should do it the other way around? Or, I guess reverse stadking would accomplish the same thing?

Connie,
I didn't notice that it made any real difference in what order I took the photos or stacked them but it did take a bit to figure out how to use the program. After you load the pictures, you have to go to the "Macro" pull-down menu and select "Do Stack" and then wait for the program to finish. The first few times it didn't seem to work because I didn't do that step.