I’ve spent part of today in the ‘Inner Sanctum’ taking 39 images of a dead Green Tiger Beetle (only 1 cm long). All credit for killing and ‘setting’ must go to my husband as I don’t like this bit. He has permission to collect specimens and does a good job making them look natural.
I haven’t got a Sony power cord for the computerised automated “stack shot” so I used the focus rail manually to take the 39 images.
In the set up you can see details like the tripod is embedded in drilled wood that is suspended above the floor and the subject is mounted on top of an old microscope base – all this helps to reduce movement. Lighting is with 2 x 100 Elinchrom heads (not too powerful) with light boxes and the subject is also on white foam board in a light tent.




I used f8 and the lights were set to f11 which was tested with a tiny remote light meter.
A700
Tamron 90mm with 13mm/21mm/31mm tubes
F8
ISO 200
1/125sec
I stacked in Zerene and used the Dmap option. After that I spent around 3 hours cleaning it up and mending any ‘artifacts’ from the stack. As I was quite enjoying myself I decided to add a fancy bit
I copied, flipped vertically and imported to the background image where I used edit/transform to warp the reflection which I then reduced the opacity of.



Crop in



Pat

stunning image

Thank you for showing the set up. Very nifty set up there, Pat. I like the idea of adding that reflection.
For that kind of stacking, I find the image is a tad bit soft and over processed. I could very well be my aging eyes.
Have you tried PMAP option using Zerene stacker? When I played with it a while ago, I got better results with one or the other
depending on the subject. I think there is a PMAP+DMAP option too, if I am not mistaken.

Please accept my apologies if my comments are not warranted since this thread is one where we "show off" our images per se.


With best regards,
Sury

Thakyou



WE find that P MAX is flat and lacks depth compared to D MAP. OH has done extensive research on which methods are best, including trialling PhotoShop 6 which is still lacking but faster than the older PS versions. Cloning from the Pmax to Dmap doesn't work (it pixillates) so there's no point to using both. Original images are useful for artifact sorting etc. but on this effort it wasn't needed. The guy who created Zerene (Rik Littlefield) says it is better to master Dmap.

I always welcome constructive criticism but this image isn't soft or overprocessed - however I'll admit it hasn't as much detail as the 80-90 image stacks that OH does with a 60mm Macro and bellows and an automated, computerised "Stack Shot" . He says I did very well for a first attempt by hand and without bellows
See one of his images here - you can also 'Read About' and look at all his other Hypo Macro work.

http://garytackwildphotos.zenfolio.com/p842902630

Thanks for the interest and your comments

Pat



See .

Pat,
Thank you for the clarification and the link. Much appreciated. Those are some of the amazing photos on that link.

With best regards,
Sury

An amazing image and a very interesting set up and description - thanks for sharing Pat

Hi Pat,

What an interesting macro project!
Congratulations on your persoal approach of using only your hands during the shooting... : ) Ladies always have different ways when dealing with a certain matter.

Your macros are as appealing as your bird shots.

Thanks for sharing,

Yildiz

Wow... just wow.

What a great macro image your elaborate setup has got you. Very nice!

Mark

I think that result is outstanding Pat, marvellous stack effort. Is there a slight cumulative contrast reducing flare issue? Maybe the ultra white background is reflecting light back into the lens a little perhaps? Is the background a little too close to the subject maybe? It’s nothing serious but the overall impression is one of being slightly foggy even though every detail is well depicted and quite sharp from the furthest extremity to the closest with obviously very good camera control through the travel and great alignment and processing by the program.
Greg

I have to learn this method...

You should enter the Scientific Technical and Applied class of the 2012 Master Photography Awards - that class is open to all photographers, not just members. I believe you would stand a very good chance of winning an award, based on what I know of the past entries and winners.

David

Amazing shots )
some day when i have the money to invest in gear this is the road i want to explore, which is kind of odd because i relay have issues with insects dont like them at al but to take pictures of them is fun
i have found a swed that own this genre if ur interested in his work here is a link http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnhallmen/
i know i he dosent shoot with SONY gear but he is amazing in what he does.

Any address?

I'll post information about entering this - it is international as well - around the beginning of June. Actually on-line entry is not open until June 6th because the webmaster needs time to get the system amended and all the stuff in place.

There is also a Young Photographer class - free entry - for the first time ever (under-16s) and several Open classes which any photographer can enter.

I have been working very hard to get the Master Photographers Association to change, because if they don't, I will be without a remaining business one day. They have introduced a new non-voting, unqualified membership level at £99 a year as well as opening up more competition classes and lowering their seminar prices - members are getting some amazingly good full day seminars with live Elinchrom studio, Epson printing etc for £15 the full day this year.

I'm very optimistic about the way they are trying to get more photographers involved and getting better deals to those who already are.

The Scientific class started out jointly with BIPP as 'The Art of Science' a few years ago, and of course attracted loads of very artistic abstracts and stuff. The problem was that they then dropped the Technical and Applied classes, which were once part of Scientific/Medical/Biological etc - they just got left with 'The Art of'. This year, they reinstated the category without any description like 'Art' so that anything from metallurgical X-ray to electronoc microscope is eligible. But they will still be judged for artistic merit as well as technical value.

Pat's work has the lot!

David

Very nice stacked image. Wow! I've tried it but I'm too lazy to do the whole process.