Thorn Apple

[John Robinson]

For interest as much as anythingShowing when stacking is really useful

This plant Thorn Apple is also known as Jimson weed, Devil's snare or datura
****'s Bells, Devil’s Trumpet, Devil’s Weed, Tolguacha, Jamestown Weed, Stinkweed, Locoweed, Pricklyburr and Devil’s Cucumber.
I had a request for a shot of this plant recently and by pure fluke had one that turned up in a patio planter. All parts are deadly poisonous by the way. There was a problem- they wanted the flower and fruit in one pic. No problem with a wide angle but wouldn't be much detail. Second problem-flowers open at night. Third problem - the seed pds and flowers are about 4 inches apart.
So- late evening tonight. 800 ISO
20th sec @f5
7 images Stacked in CZM
Tripod
remote release
70% of frame.
Not a block buster of a shot by usual standards but the client was happy ! Would have been difficult without stacking.as there is 5 inches between the tip of the flower and the top of the seed pod
Cheers
JohnR

[Ron Conlon]

As I play myself with stacking software I become aware of the artifacts--new nits for new techniques. Like what Zerene sometimes produces in my hands, you may be getting some super-highlighted edges like the leaf edges--I found a way to turn the sharpening and other adjustments down for my taste in Zerene so that it just stacks without other image adjustments--I want as many of the adjustments to be under my control, and as minimal as possible. There is also some softness around the junction of the white petals and green sepals--either a missing step in the stack or the software didn't find enough contrast in the area to pick out the in-focus bit. If it is in focus somewhere in the stack, you should be able to help the software out by retouching, or sharpen the area after in some other software.
The downside of stacking is more time on the computer and less shooting, but shots like this--as you explain--are the way to go. Excellent work, and thanks for inspiring the recent stacking submissions by myself and others!

[John Robinson]

Thanks Ron.Like I said not my best example of stacking by a long chalk !It was nearly dark in fact so much that focussing wasn't tha easy. It was the handling of the 5 inch distance between fore and back that interested me. Strangely I wondered about the white leaf edges but just been outside to check and they are like that !. The oof bit near the petal/sepal join is a missed focus plane. I tried to put one in from another series but didn;t work !
I can,t redo it as once stacked I dont keep the series.. Got too many !! (Easier to do it again !)
Thanks for your input and interest.
John

[nick clayton]

I like the way the plant has the spiky intimidating seed pot in contrast to the beautiful white flower, a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde plant. You have shown this aspect well with this nicely exposed and detailed image John.

[Jonathan Ashton]

Hmm good shot obviously I have some learning to do before I make any submissions! Well done John - may not be perfect but as I mentioned before stacked images invite extra critique. I suspect the originals can be looked at again but having said that it looks pretty good to me. Two things are apparent me though you may see more? A slight shadow around the right hand side of the white bloom and a bit of fuzziness on the sepal/base of the bloom. Easy for me to say - bet I am creating a rod for my own back!

[John Robinson]

You are right Jon. The petal/sepal area has been mentioned and yes there is a n"artifact around the top of the white petal.
John

[Diane Miller]

Wonderful capture of a difficult situation! The nitpicks don't bother me, but I'd wonder if a little more detail could be brought out in the flower?

Out here in the Wild West it's known as Loco Weed. My mother said the cows used to eat it and get really crazy. I was looking at some in West Texas a while back, but too wilted to photograph, and a local cautioned me that two high school kids were in the hospital, having tried to get high on it. Never knew it would grow in such a genteel place as the UK!