Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking 9781847977205

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Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking

Extreme Close-Up Photography and Focus Stacking

Julian Cremona

CROWOOD

FIrs1 published In 2014 by

The Crowood Press ltd Ram\bury. Marlborough W11lsh1re SNS 2HR www crowood com This ImpressIon 2019

'1 Julian Cremona 2014 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, w,thout permission In writing from the publishers British Library Cataloguing-m-Publlcat1on Data A catalogue record for this book Is available from the British Library. ISBN 978184797 719 9 Frontispiece Close-up of the hind wing of a Common Blue Butterfly Polyommatus icarus. male, x 4.

Dedication This bock , aedicated to my bug collectors Carys, Rory, Conor and Finlay

Acknowledgements Much o! \'/hat I have learnt over the years has been down to tnal and error. In recent years a number of pE:ople that I have met have tnggered ideas through conversanons and given support, like John ArcherTnorr.son. a 'and~cape pho:ographer, lnend and work colleague Mike Crutchley, a retired engineer, ae:velops great deas. some of which brush off onto me Olten through a collective discussion, ideas are gt:ne:raH:d _ome of the super ideas people are trom the Quekett Microscopy Club. In particular are Phil Gro.:Jves. Geott Mould. Carel Sartory, Ray Sloss and 'Spike' Walker Thanks to all of them for their thoughts nd suqge~tions ove:r the years Also to James Robson of the Hormman Museum m London: always one tor d b,ugam on e:Bay1 My family has been a constant support, especially my four super grandchildren

·::ho sho't: such lmlhant enihusiasm for the natural world at a young age. Thanks especially to Brenda, my '. ong- suffenng v11fe. who has always been my greatest supporter and cnuc.

Graphic design and layout by www.peggyandco.ca Printed and bound in India by Parksons Graphics

CONTENTS

Introduction

7

l

What is Macro7

11

2

What Camera is Best7

15

3

Techniques for Getting Close

23

4

L1ghtmg and Exposure

41

5

Image Oual ty and Sharpness

65

6

Stacking Images

79

7

Supporting Mate rial

103

8

Improving Stacked Images

125

9

Working on ProJects

141

Further Information

172

Index

174

Introduction

I

have always been a collector: even at the age of

a personality, which the portrait photograph shows,

eight I collected any object pertaini ng to wildl!fe.

and so the collec tion will not be com plete u ntil that

By te n years o f age this collecting advanced to

head sho t ism the bag.

pickling p ieces and parts of bodies, such as the heart

Those ea rly days with the Zenith were a struggle

of a dead b1rd . By twelve I was setting butterflies and

with mi nimum finance. Film was bought in bulk, cut

other insects on boards. The collecting had now

up and loaded in the darkroo m I learnt at university

taken on a wh ole new angle as I discovered the

to process my own, using the zoology department's

use of crushed laurel leaves to prod uce cyan ide to

dark room at night when no -one else needed it. Most

·bump o ff all the invertebrates in the back garden.

difflcul t v,as teaching myself ways of taking close-

The collection g rew during m y teenage years unt il

ups and getting those head shots with no money

my paren ts asked me why i had to kill everything. It

to buy equ ipment. Toilet rolls, poster rolls, lenses

was for my eighteenth birthday they bought me a

borrowed from stude nt m icroscopes and slide pro -

cam era and suggested I photograph them instead.

jectors as spot lights - all were used and developed

The camera was one of the most diffic ult to use,

until I had vaguely prese ntable images. I gave many

but a cheap, single -lens refl ex model: a Russia n

people a good deal of enjoyment as they laughed

Zenith E. Graduaily, as I learnt to use the ca mera

at my methods. Today I would cringe at some of

my collecting changed again and has continued

the results and yet the Zeni th was a superb learning

for more than forty years. My huge invertebrate

tool because of the diffic ulty in getting good results. Every day seemed to be a 'back-to- the- drawmg -

collection is now o n a computer and easier to access through a database. This digital image may not

boa rd' day as I developed the fil m and 11-1ent back to

appear as exciting as the tangible object and yet the

try agai n Today learning 1s easier, with nea r-instant

thrill of cap ture is no less electrifying. When explor-

results

ing a n ew location the sight of a species I have neve r seen before p rovides the same level of excitement,

There is staggering beauty in the unsee n elements of na ure in close-up. I never cease to be

so that as I move in wi th the digital SLR I am shak -

amazed as details appea r in a focus-stacked image

ing I stop breathing as I ti re the shutter o capture

wh ich the unaided eye could not resolve During

the creature. It will start with a general distant shot with the h abitat in th e background and, by slowly

my life as a biologist I have lea rnt and been lucky enough to branc h in o eve ry area of the nat ural

moving closer, jus t the organism is collec ed. That

v10rld, not just te rrestrial invertebrates but to ex end

is n ot good enough as ! need to see the de ail of wi ngs and h airs on the legs. Every invertebrate has

my collection in directions i never would have thought possible as a young eenager.

Fig. 0.1 Portraits of differen t invertebrates. Left to right. top to bottom · Elephant Hawkmoth. Froghopper. White Ermine Moth. Scorpion- fly. Wa sp, Pra wn. House Fly, Jumping Spider. Saucer Bug. Tiger Beetl e. Mantis Fly, Dolly Fly. HaNestm an. Emp1d Fly. Common Shore Crab. Migrant Hawker. Praying Mantis.

Int roduc tion

I7 I

Emb r:icmn a1 d dev Aoping new technolog1E's

This book 1s approached from the perspective

to ·clucv this is ongoin1 Relatively spE'cJkmg, the

ol a naturalist wanting a record of any organism

p11rc of ..:qu1p111t-nt ha never been lov,er. and prod-

they fmd It is about attairnng maximum detail and

uc s ,;re mere ,;ccess1ble ,,vJth he Internet Some

sharpness It 1s a praciical guide covering al\ aspe cts

ne1·.r idea~ an le d to a dead end and that can make

of how to photograph any terrestrial or aquatic sub-

pCvp\e aira1d of trymg. concerned about gettmg it

Ject m close-up Where possible. captions give some

v.rrong As has often been the case m history, most of

mformat1on about the organism. What sets this

v.rha t I have learnt has been through such mistakes.

book apart. howeve r. 1s its focus on providing the

, omenmes I am pleased with parucular images but

most concise information available to date on focus

typica\iy I am not and always fee\ that I need to try

stacking, and it will be useful for anyone interested

again

in this topic. whether for 'macro· or any other form

The d1g1tal vs. h\m df'ba e still goes on - which if bette17 suppose 11 depends on one· viewpoint

of photography, such as landscapes. We look at indoor. studio photography, as well as

b t I would never 1etum to hlm. for envuonmental

photography in the field. The word 'studio' suggests

1easons and because I spent many years in dark

something grand but in practice 11 means a table or

moms breathing in the noxious chemicals. In ad-

bench where all the paraphernalia that occurs with

dnron there are the improved methods of capturing

extreme close-ups can be set up next to a mains

close-ups and more advanced ways of learning to

socket This type of photography does entail an

impmve I hope that this book w1\I help you develop

incredible vanety of bits and pieces and so storage

more quickly than I did. There is no better lime than

space in the form of drawers. boxes and shelves will

now to create extreme close-ups, and the technol-

be needed. as well as - most essentially - a nearby

ogy 1s straightforwa rd. Although 11 would be great

computer This al\ suggests close-up photography

lf a student 0 1 photography could learn everything

1s an expensive activity but it is surprising how. with

in one go, unul that becomes possible. the linear

a bit of ingenuity and searching, much of what you

!a~hion of chapte1s building upon each other is the

need will be unwanted material. Old photographic

way this book !S wrmen The contents show the

and darkroom equipment that has been collecting

key pomts. dip in and out 10 SUit yourself The hnal

dust may become central to the effort Extreme

chapter is the one that mes to piece it a\\ together

close-ups can take up an inordinate amount of time

by taking specihc subJect matter and looking from

and patience (my wife says I disappear for hours)

that perspective The choice of organisms has been

but with a bit of effort. and always bearing in mind

made to cover most evenrualrnes

the welfare ol the creatures, it is amazing what is

Today I have a catalogue of many thousands of species. di gnally stored on my hard dnve. which ! have co\lected over my life It may not be as

spectact.:.lar as a museum collection but at least I no longer need to k:ll species to store them Focus stackmg has bee:n descnbed by many who practise it as or.ly possible nhen usmg dead specimens Unless I flnd he mdiv,dua\ already dead, I rarely use dead material L'n\ess stated. all photographs were taken of hvmg specimens

i 8 I lntroduct,on

possible on even the tightest budget. Expect a heap of frustration on the way to gaining great results.

Fig. 0.2 Albany Da,sy. Ac linod,um cunningl 1am 11 (centre of the flower). endemic to Western Aust ra lia Magn,hcat,on x3. FuJ, Finepix S602 bridge cam era wi th a coupled 58mm lens

lntroduc11on , 9 1

Chapter 1

What is Macro?

W

h at m akes a good photograph is very subjective but to many it is a subject or

photograph of a subject is v,here the image is the same size as the film. For exa mple, if the subjec t lS

vielfrpoint that few others see, making the v1e•11er look tvvice. The world is typically seen from between one and two metres above the

a com, once the f"lm has been developed, it could be placed to fit exactly on top The ratio is 1· 1. Most general -purpose lenses and zooms that have a

ground; b y moving o ground level the viewer's percep 10n o f the area changes. Alternatively, go h igher a view from the op of a hill or mountain

macro setti ng may also have a ratio nearby, typically some hi ng like 1"4 and not l l This mea ns that the image is a qua rter of the size of the subject, or the subject is fo ur times the size of the til m image. With

can make a scene rnc re m e rest ing; aerial image ry 1s a v,hole gem-:: o f pho ography in itself. Getting close to li·fi ng crea,ures 'Nill display more and more detail - almost personal elem ents of the subject's life not seen before - and this can make intriguing photography. A whole nev,, m1cro-v10rld waiting to be photographed . This is the world of macrophotography; making s mall things look bigger. The word 'macro' has been used and abused ex tensively. Its meaning can be confusing, as people's percep uon of what 'macro' means varies vridely, not least between manufacturers of lenses Most photographers realize tha a 'macro' se ti ng will allow the user o get closer to a subject This may be vrrit ten on the side oi a lens or the focusi g scale. Purists •11ould say that a macro ser··ng on age eral- pu rpose lens like this is not true macro, as lt jus provides a closer focusing fac ility. So v,hat is rue mac ro' This was easier to answer when everyone used film, particularly the standa rd 35mm film like that used to produce slide transparencies As 35mm film equ ivalents are sun used today on ct ·gital camera enses perhaps we can start here, too. A macro

suitable equi pment you cou d pho ograph a tiny flower such hat the fil m im -ge 1s twice the size o f the actual subjec . In this case the ra 10 •..vill be 2:1 Of course, 1f the 35m m film transparency is proJected on to a screen or made into a pnnt the magnification is changed again. The ratio 1s used to refe r to the initial imagery on the fi lm; if the film format is different, e.g. 6cm x 6cm, then the ra io changes again. This is why attempting to define the term 'macro' ca n be confusing. 'Nhat abo t dig i a\ cameras' The princ iples are the same but instead of fll m i is he size of the sensor and the image ha 1s projec ed irom the lens onto that sensor In the case of wha 1s called a full -frame camera Lria size is Still 35mm For others you may need to refer to the manual or the In ernet as there are a numbe r of differen sensor formats especially v!lth compac cameras. The la tte r ca n produce excellent close -ups and appea r to provide good magnification Ho·11e·,er. l is no possible o see the original f1 m v,-th a d gital camera; he ir age you see on Lrie camera screen has been _ agni ' ed o fn

the screen.

Fig. 1.1 Common Blue Butterfly. Potyommatus icarus. covered in early morning dew which renders It almost unable to fly. and therefore an easy subJect for macro photography Canon 7D wi th 150mm macro lens plus 21mm extension ring. 11125th sec fB ISO 400. 1.'Vnat 1s Ma :ro'

1

11 :

, Choplcr 1 ,

To ·:101k 01 hew your co111p.,c1c, rne1a comp ,Jt-s to

i?UC

mac1Odo ihc l01low111g S'mtch on the

n orto rnr.de. :,suJil•; a flovrr s:;rn ol on the b.1ck ol thl: Cdlllasily :11th OSI Rs or bndgE c mera 0 Most

Macro and e.. '. 35

Chapter 3 .

Lens adapters Inn ,my ca~cs, n adapH' r v1111 b,• avail, blc some ·:,hr·r~ on 1hc, lntcrnPl to attach c.1 kns to a standard camr::u mount. both DSLR ,md CSC for most of the bellows phc ographs shown here there 1s an aaapter to allov, a modern DSLR to I t to an old bellows urnt Therefore. any lens can be attilcht:d to any camera mount It could be that not all the functions of the lens may work. e.g ;:;utolocus nd diaphragm. p rue larly so vlith CSCs One of the biggest issues 1s th:it the extra sp ce c used by the adapter can prevent focusmg to mhn1ty as thE:y can act as a small extension tube 01 course. this 1s not

problem

for rnac10 These, dapters are producE:d mamly m Chma and can be purchased direct or through 11nponi.:rs via the Internet A number of camera supphers v11ll sell thE:m, check adverts m photography magiizmes. They are mexpens1ve and are usually fine although care should be taken when first tilting them to ensure It 1s a good ht Sometimes they can

Fig. 3.17 Stereo microscope for low magnifications. This is a trinocu lar one, the third tube Is for at1achIng a camera. A new GX Micro scope can often be found for a rea sonable price on eBay.

be a httle snug but a candle can be run up and down the adapter edge where It connects with the camera, makmg sure sm 11 pieces do not get detac hed and drop mside the camera. This will provide enough lubncat1on to make a smoother connecuon Camera and lens manufacturers Villi of course not recommend then use but when selected and attached with cau ion should not be a problem The benefits are enormous 11 lenses can be m:erchanged between camera mounts ii ycu have concerns over using the adap te rs check for

r e·✓1ews

onlme

Microscopes Extreme close-up photography 1s edgmg mto pho orn1crography T: 1s 1s the process of photographing dow:1 a microscope, 1t 1s a highly spec1al1zed area and goes beyond the realm of this book II you are mterested m this you ate strongly recom • mended to Join a good microscopy group such as the Ouekelt Microscopy Club or Postal Microscopy Society They have amateur and professional people v.rho hke nothi!'1g be er than to help a developing I 36 1

Techniques for Getting Close

Fig. 3.18 Wild M20 compound microscope. an example o r a hig h -quality bul relatively inexpensive microscope m ade in the 1960s. This is a trin ocular one for altaching a cam era - here a DSLR wi th adapter altached - but 11 could be a CSC or compact.

I Chapter 3 1

Fig. 3.19 Flatworm species from a saltmarsh. pho to graphed on the WILD M20. phase contrast. m agnihed x !OO. composite of four im ages

VIEWPOINT AND COMPOSITION

m1croscop1st of any le·.rel Through prac 1cal meetings around the country they 111!ll met de days when enthusiasts exchange and sell a 111onderful arra; of equipment. Neither of the wo 1s expensive o join. These super people will give you adv·ce on v,ha second - hand m icroscopes to buy, v1here to source them and how to u se them. They have leaflets and books as well as free information dov, loads

Concern over he technical side of close-ups and abou whether he subject migh move makes it easy to forge about composi uon. Picture elemen s. like shape. form. ex1ure, lines and viewpoin . are jus as

on virtually any subject Purchasing second-hand m croscopes does not have o be expensive and attachin g a camera is fairly s ra1gh forNar ·

en ical m making a good photograph T e import n par as to be gettmg he photograph before losi ng he speci en Nhen approachmg a subject, take a senes of shots in cas 1 does d1sappe r If

The illus trations sho·,m here d!splay r nccular microscopes wh ·ch are ideal ior. ho cgr phy ·11here the th ird tube is for attach1. g the ca1 .er Hov,ever. 1! the microscope has o:ily one or ··:.'o ey pieces these can be used to take a pho o throug. A com pact with a small diameter lens is i •eal as i ts t e eyepiece. although a slight amount o: zooming m on the compact will help preven vigne•ti g /v'.any basic compacts can be d1mcult to a tach but. like any adapter. check SRB or onlme I· may be possible to hold it in place with a npod for a l!m1 ed amount of use

no you can se le dovm a d s ar 1mprov1 g he composi 10n Early on, al\0·11 pLn :; of space so ha re -composi 10n can be comple ed o he compu er later vn h cropp!ng and ro auon. Clearly. it •11ould be bet er to get 1 ngh m the ca. era Remember that ..,,h makes an mteresung photograph for a •newer is something d1'.feren . jus c· angmg the viewpO!. helps Mos people v,:1.1 see . ewers a. d msec s straigh:-o. so get ng do•,, belov, nd lookll:g 1Jp a hem c r.. ake ad :!ere ce. L!ght'ng takes on a d!fferen hue a, sunrise and sur.se:, prod..:c . :J ncher colours

Techn,qu;:~ for Ge'.11:,g

c10,c · 37

; Chapter l

r,g

3 20 Bl~rk v· 11r. Jt-•oth S,o,u

lint. 1tJ 1< IJt. ry trdm.:u::.t. r1t und

a lv u v., t1.·po1nt iiillows tht

dr t,.ult. d black \i£-1ns 10 appt .,r mart• tll t.:n 1.-u/ thJ n 1f the

CJrT,r ra hud r n po1r1l1n9 c;ir t11 :.urd \ A OSLR ,,ould ~r d,tf, cull a nd a ccmpJct was h£:ltJ Ion down bd o:, 1t w 11h

an cxtc nde:d arm

Exnosutt-' wJs set 1n manu,11 bd rchand Only two shots woe taktn bd orc 1t flt w

CJMn GIS 1/S00th •,cc /6 3 ISO 1000

TABLE OF METHODS FOR DIFFERENT MAGNIFICATIONS 1:4

~agnification ratio SubJect examples

~r-

Flowers

1:2 -_----r

Butterflies

· Dragonflies I

Periwinkles

-

1:i -

Small flies

f: _ 2~

Parts of

: Small flowers _organisms : Delicate

Crabs

seaweeds

4 :1

IHeads o f i small insec ts

I Large

I

plankton

Zoom lens Zoom with extension tubes Macro lens Macro lens wrth extension tubes Coup~ng le~ Bellows with enlarge~ lens or similar Focus, auto or manual

Both

Depth of held

Decreas~s from l~ft to ri~ht

N~ed for extra light

Increases fr~m left t? rig_ht

Char.gmg the \'Je\•,rpomt can be aided by a ,,,m- a!1gled LC:) £creen 1 his can prevent the need lO

l:e dovm on he grcund This

1s

v.rhe re a compact

can be be ,tr than il ;)SLR as i can more easily be put be:o•:, a subirct and face skywards_Wnh macro P o ography i; !S difficult to ge: everyth1 g m focus I 38 I

TEchn,qu,:s fer C ett,ng Clos~

: Manual

If all else fails try to get the eyes in focus, If they are

sharp the rest can be blurred and the image may still work With the eyes out of focus there is little that can be done 10 improve the ph otograph as it is all about making eye contact, even with an insect

I Chapter 3 1

< Fig. 3.21 Snowd rop, Galanrhus nival,s. in woodla nd. By lying the camera on the ground and shooting skywards the outline ol th e tr ees shows th at it is a w inter woodland and the blue contrasts w ell with th e blue sky. FuJi S602 bridge camera. 1160th sec

/ll ISO 160.

Fig. 3.22 Whit e Ermine Moth, Sp,tosoma lubr,c,peda, composed so th at the head ,s o/1 -set and looking into th e picture with plenty or space In Iron! The single antenna helps form a frame across the top of the picture Magnification x 2. 15-imagc stack

Techn ;ques for Ge1t1ng C!ose

39

Chapter4

Lighting and Exposure

L

ighting is critical to a good photograph as the intensity, position. direction, type and number

of lights can subtly or dramatically change the image The altera ion could be in the colour and contrast v,hi\st detail m ay be subdued or enhanced. Of course, the amount of \igh Mill affect the

came ra's exposu re o f he image. Traditionally wi h him, this was about he shut er and aperture cont rols but with diglta\ comes a th ird. more pro minent issue· the se nsor's level of sensitivi ty, Mhich is measured as ISO. Film is inflexible v,ith the latter but for digital cameras the ISO setting can be adjusted as easily as the o the r tv,,o lighting con rols This chapter looks at the impact of all of these issues on close-up photography and maki ng the exposure.

EXPOSURE READINGS

the sensor will be. This sensi ivi y is the ISO setting; as a sta rting point. fo r bes· quahty 1m for arou nd ISO 100 to 200. The lower the n umber the lower the sensitivity and more hght will have to b taken in by the camera. res ulting in v11der apertu res or slower shutter speeds High numbers. like ISO 3200. allow photos to be taken in qui te dim hgh as these values make the sensor much more sensnive to hght The downside of high sens itivity is the increase in noise at these higher values Noise is electrical in crfe rence on the sensor and shows up as randomly colou red pixels in the image That could mean red pixels in a blue sky, but mos crucially, im ges are no as clea r and sha rp. As Nith the control of apertures nd shut ter speeds. o provide better images. ISO needs to be carefully controlled Avoid the auto ISO se tings. digital cameras allov, for quick cha nges in ISO and so a vrays star low INhe n se\ec ing ISO setung. be aware of the poss1bil! y of noise creeping in if you

As tempting as it may be to use a .ully automatic

mode on the camera, to ach ·eve good and consis ent results 'Aperture Priority· mode 1s he bes choice This means that you choose an apert re a. d he camera reciprocates with a sui able shu er speed according to the amo unt of light available It ·s a semi -auto mode. The camera measures the ligh reflected off the subjec . us ally by an e ,aiuau•re metering m ode. although other methods like spo and centre -we·ghted will probably be available. Evaluative m etering provides a good all-round method oi estimating the amoun of light present. However, the m eter needs to know how sensitive

Fig. 4 .1

Mo ss spore capsules. x 2.5 m agnihcation. Photog raphed indoors w, th a ma ,n flash behind and slight hll -,n flash at the front. 26 - ,mage stack.

move the set ing highe r. Modern cameras are good a contro\hng noise. and \a er L he book (see Chap er 8) •11e ·mll be able to see hovr o red uce this on the compu er. Like so many aspects of pho ography. prac ise reg ularly and discover he limns of your ca . era Photograph he same subJect under the same condi:ions bu change just he !SO setting Compare enlarged images side by s1de on you r computer screen. find he setting v,here noise becomes unacceptable o you. and tr1 to avoid going that high. On as nny day m h he !SO se at iOO he resu. of metering a landscape cou d be a hutter speed of 11125th of a second wii:1 the c1pertt..re 'J'. he lens

Chapter ◄

THE RELATIONSHIP OF SHUTTER SPEED TO APERTURE

I t111-~s

Cameras normally show the shutter speed as whole numbers rather than as fractions. which can be confusing.

Shutter 1p11d

1/1000

1/ 500

/28

/4

1/ 250

1/125

1/ 60

(In Hcond1)

Aperture (shown as whole stops)

/5.6

18

Jll

I

11s

1130

116

122

f32

L

1..11.1pr,1agm ,et to /8 lrefen cd to as ·t stops') The

exposure for the same amount of light as shown

sh J::tr ~!Xtd 1s the length of tun e that light has on

in the table will now be 111000th second at f8 a t

•h~ .,ensor Tne apenurc value refers to the diameter

ISO 800. Above 111000th and below one second this

o; the l'ole n,dde b\1 the diaphragm m the lens.

reciprocity does not always function and is referre d

ailol':mg light o pass through mto the camera The

to as 'reciprocity failure·. In these situations it is easy

a; r,oi..nt of r.iltural hght 1s fanly v,en hxed so 1! you cr.,mg1e a ·.ralue ·hen one or both of the others would

enough to take a test exposure with a digital camera

J-,,r:1:: to dEinge They are reciprocal and the table

speeds will be discussed further in the next chapter;

"b -ve th:r::s ,h!s 1ec1proc1ty

1t 1s a fundamental process when looking at light.

and review the result. Choice of aperture and shutter

[•11::ry lime: the-re 1s an increase of a whole stop,

e g frcm 8 o :1. the :1ght entering the camera is ha:ved Orrnmg up a stop from /8 to / 5 6 doubles

FORMS OF LIGHT

:re !,_ht and m :his example /2 8 has the lens wide 0pu, •-=ttmg maxm,um l!ght through the lens Using cur ' >.posu.rt: tEddmg example (h1gh\ighted m the table aLo·.'e' ii the hght 1s halved by changing the

Natural daylight produces the best rendition of a scene and where possible is great to use.

stops m Ap •rture Pnor1ty mode to /11 there 1s an

Unfortunately, the closer you get to a subject the less

autcr•1:,t:~ ~hutte r :;peed change This is to 1160th

light is available and the more difficult it is to control.

seccnd o anew '. Wice he amou nt of hght on to the

The exposure example given above was for a gen -

~r:nsor .00n·t !orget the:y are lracuons) and so keep

era\ landscape scene An insect climbing up a small

t '" expowre he sam

plant on the ground could have several stops o f light

!fa !e1!.t shutter speed 1s needed to freeze the

less than this, more like 11125th sec atf4 . The closer

ac.t:on and you select a thousandth of a second

you get to your subject the greater the chance that

:hr:n v::tn •he same amount of hght present the lens

you will be in your own light, moving around th e

v:ould h· veto be opened up three stops to /2 8 to

sub1ect increases the chance of it flying away. This is

re~!prccate the amount o! hght entenng the camera

where a lens with a good working distance and long

"'.'his l "N"1 : E: ; ken a d he us1r.g so r:v,. re the pr o o~ ·:,er;; -:o. b!. ed

Thrs . ea. s ·ha lr.e pixe·s ;:-ii· ure: :. b:.:'J s are iill , 73

l

: Chapter 5 :

Focus slacking a crane-fly T1pula pJ/udosa . This composite 15 made from thirty-four separate images taken from front to back and then combin ed in software Thts

,s. the original imag e with no

enhance ments. showing the in1t1al compos,te 1s very sharp Canon

7D w1lh 65mm MP-E macro. macro twin flash Ma9n1hcation x 2. /8 Equipm ent on an optical bench using a dea d !,pec 1men

(See also Fig . 5.7)

saved and furthe r enhanced with levels. tone curves

Then relocus slightly behind the fi rst point allowing

as requHed. The alternative to movmg the camera forv1ard

!or some overlap. Take the photograph and then refocus agam behind this pomt and so on until you have gone beyond the subject This can be used up o aiound 11 but beyond that most methods will not allow for a refocus of the lens Beyond 1 l lt has to be by moving small increments closer to the sub1ect.

in small increments is to refocus the lens. This 1s a technique sunable for standard macro lenses with magnifications up to 1·1 Focus the lens on a pomt at the front of the subject and take the fi rst image 174 I

Image Quality and Sharpness

I Chap ter 5 /

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Fig. 5.15 Focus stacking a rl ower of the common sedge. Carex Th,s ,s a composite of twelve images In th is case th e lens was not m o 1,cd

but th e lens barrel was twn ed to cha nge the po,ni of foc us lrnt,ally. th e focus point was the front anther of the ft01·1er and a photo was

taken; th en the focus was ad1usted to slightly behind the fir st one Th e shutter was fired aga,n. the focus was ad1usted aga,n. and so on Canon 30D 100mm macro on r-1. J/2 sec /8. 150 100 w,th natural light Tripod

Focus stacking ex reme close-ups is rewarding but requires some patience. it can be used with a ny ot the techniques shown including coupling in bridge cameras. The nex chapter looks at focus stacking in more detail.

Image Oua!11y r:d Sha rpnes s . 75

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Chapter 5

Fig . 5.16 Bee Fly froz en 1n flight with a combination of fa st shutter speed and flash The insect was tracked with lhc auto focus off and pre -focu sed on a ~e t d•s tunce and magmhcat1on ratio of 115 By wat ching the behaviour for a wh1 le beforehi:Jnd 1t wt1s po!.sible to

fact that just before . n ?D identify the preferred flowers and to notice th e feeding the fly hovered for a second by th e flower. Cano 100mm macro. macro flash. 11250th sec fl!. ISO !OD.

FREEZING ACTION

urports there 1s nmhmg you can do. Some software P 1 If there . to be able 10 clear up shake but it is minima · 1s shake the only option 1s to bin it. Tripods are not

Reference to apertu re h as been made nume rous times whilst the shutter speed control h as only been touched upon. Much of 1h1s h as been down 10 depth of held and sharpn ess but the shu tte r speed 1s crlllcal for several reasons Blur through camera shake 1s

always idea\ as chasing a moving insect requires fiex1b!hty Preven t cam era shake from the offset by using a sunable shutter speed and, if in doubt, go higher Stan wJth a number similar to the focal length !! the lens 1s a 100mm macro on an APS -C DSLR then allovv for the smaller sen sor w hich m ea ns

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one of the most annoying aspects of taking closeup pho os Ex pos ure issues and even sha rpness to som e exte nt can be adjusted m emergencie s o n the com puter ta ter on but if you have camera shake I 76

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Image Quality and Sharpn ess

the equ1valem focal length 1s a round 150 - 160rnm So the sh utter speed is going 10 be 11160th seco nd Wnh stab1l!zat1on on th e le ns you may th ink this

I Chapters /

Fig. 5.17

Hawker Dragonfly, Aeshna cyanea 11600th sec at /8 ISO 800 vmh no,se m ,n,m,zed by Topa z DeNo,se software

could drop b>' several stops '.':h1ch ..,,ou ld be 1/40,h second. ln reality that is not go;ng 10 happen W1thout shake u;1less you are very s able Be, er to be safe than sorry after ,he evem - all 't takes s an increase in the iSO to allow for a fas er speed Mode rn cameras are good at comroll!ng noise; and a little noise is fa r preferable t0 camera shake, as noise can be reduced later.

freezing ac 10n 1s often achieved .hrough use of a rash. The pioneenng won< y S _phen Dalton should be re·11ev1ed 1f you need !:'or~ informa 10n o his area Electronic flds i.res at e..