Some shots of a hebe and a hibiscus flower all taken indoors on a curved sheet of white paper and focus stacked using zerene stacker. Have to do something when it's raining outside. All taken with full flash
Dalantech wrote:
Beautiful set Brian -love the barbs on the pollen
Are you doing this hand held? I actually bought a focusing rail last winter and have yet to break it in -saving it for one of those rainy days
Thanks john
Yes they are hand held. 3 reasons
1. I'm an impatient shooter and don't like complex setups
2.By using a table as stable platform for both the subject and the camera (often using table mats, my hand or similar to adjust heights), I get the mechanical linkage between the subject and camera which I think gives a more stable FOV than a tripod setup at high mag. Not really analysed it but I think I've got very used to small incremental focus changes just using my hand.
3. It is far easier to find good/interesting angles if you can fairly freely move the camera around. I did wonder about making a subject "table" with a focus rail screwed on to it but this would still be hard from the shooting angle POV.
Dalantech wrote:
Are you doing this hand held? I actually bought a focusing rail last winter and have yet to break it in -saving it for one of those rainy days
LordV wrote:
Yes they are hand held. 3 reasons
1. I'm an impatient shooter and don't like complex setups
Guilty as charged -that's why I've had the rail for a year and haven't used it
LordV wrote:
2.By using a table as stable platform for both the subject and the camera (often using table mats, my hand or similar to adjust heights), I get the mechanical linkage between the subject and camera which I think gives a more stable FOV than a tripod setup at high mag. Not really analysed it but I think I've got very used to small incremental focus changes just using my hand.
Muscle memory -the same reason why I can refocus a scene in between frames and still get two shots in three seconds. Just an issue of time and practice.
LordV wrote:
3. It is far easier to find good/interesting angles if you can fairly freely move the camera around. I did wonder about making a subject "table" with a focus rail screwed on to it but this would still be hard from the shooting angle POV.
That was my plan, to put the camera on the rail and attach some sort of geared clamp for the perch the critter was on (or a flower) with both the rail and the clamp on the same base. But I just haven't had the time to work on it, and after seeing your results I think it might be a waste of time.
