MOTIF: Backlight Macro, bracketed exposure combinded with multiple focus frames

[Brian Wong]

EOS 20D, 60 macro, various manual focus
1/30, 1/60, 1/125, f/22, ISO 100, tripod mount, manual exposure, 9 images, cable release

MOTIF: Backlight Macro, bracketed exposure combined with multiple focus frames:eek:

Eager to learn and eager to share new ideas!:) Attempting a different idea here:confused:, with a large DOF macro looking down inside this flower by digitally combining multiple focus frames. Each focus frame was also bracketed exposed (3x3=9 images).

I liked how the exterior side/backlight glowed through the flower pedal, creating a mini-soft-box fill light inside the flower. Hopefully with much more refinement (looking to improve skills, technique & knowledge) can try getting better details, and better composition if I were to do it all over again.

Thank you for looking, and your tips for improvement is always appreciated!

[Gus Cobos]

Hi Brian, I like the composition, you have good texture in the whites. I would defuse the background leaves which are in competition with your main subject. also you need to clean up the black blemishes in your flower...:D

[Desmond Chan]

Hi Brian, I like the composition, you have good texture in the whites. I would defuse the background leaves which are in competition with your main subject. also you need to clean up the black blemishes in your flower...:D

I think I would agree to the "a bit too much DOF" here, despite your effort to increase it :D

[Harold Davis]

that's a really cool subject and i think you did well with the compo. i might add a little space all around, but not sure what elements might be brought into play. the bg doesnt bother me too much, probably more the brighter areas of the bg are distracting the most. agree about cleaning up the "dirt on the flower."

looking back i think that bg would look great almost blackened!!! not to compete so much with the flower. yeah, that's it!! that's the ticket!!

[Oscar Zangroniz]

Great composition Brian. Fine details, do agree with the background a little busy.

[Katie Rupp]

Brian, I'm not sure I understand what you did here, but I like the result. It has so much depth and a startling 3-dimensional look.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes, your techniques are beyond me. The problem is that it looks as if the flower is curved up towards me rather than as if I am looking into the flower... Anybody else see that or is it an optical collusion??? (pun intended...)

[Brian Wong]

Thank you all for the fantastic feedback, and for all the great suggestions! They are all greatly appreciated!

Since this was so digitally enhanced (nice word for manipulated :eek:... to get the large DOF in the macro), I decided to work on the image some more and just go all the way. I tried incorporating all your great ideas and suggestions:

-Sent in the vacuum and cleaned out all the black dirt spots.
-Worked on the background to a dark green.
-Worked some more on details and colors.
-Decided to try flipping the flower around ... maybe the illusion needed the morning sunlight to come from above (the top left)??

For those interested, there are basically 3 frames that were taken at different focus points along the length of the flower. A tripod is required to help keep them all of the frames registered (also need something to hold flower still). The various frames are "stacked" and the best focused portions are used (mask layers) in the final assembly. This same concept is also carried out with the bracketed exposure at each of the focus point. This allowed me to get a decent exposure deep inside the bottom of the flower, and at the same time not blow out the back-lit white portion on the flower.

Thank you for all your suggestions, and I am open to all ideas!!:)

[Dan Brown]

Brian, very interesting idea! I like both versions without the black specks. I am seeing a couple of areas on the white of the flower that are not as sharp as the rest. Maybe if you stopped more often as your focus traveled through the image so you could cover the whole image with sharpness? This reminds me of a "total DOF" macro setup that I once saw where the subject was mounted inside a box with a small horizontal slit in the side. Light shined thru the slit and the subject was automatically passed thru the light beam at a specific exposure rate while the camera recorded what the light struck. Amazing results! The only drawback was that if there were any areas that the light couldn't reach, they were BLACK! I am intrigued by the possiblities of this, using PS to "paint" the sharpness throughout the subject. COOL! Dan Brown

[Harold Davis]

i think the repost is fantastic, brian!! great job in the darkroom.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Brian, The repost is better but the flower still looks flat (like a piece of paper) and I think that I have figured out why: our eyes would expect that the interior of the flower should be at least a bit darker than the rest. With all of the EXP work that you did this is not the case and the illusion of depth is lost...

[Brian Wong]

Hey Brian, The repost is better but the flower still looks flat (like a piece of paper) and I think that I have figured out why: our eyes would expect that the interior of the flower should be at least a bit darker than the rest. With all of the EXP work that you did this is not the case and the illusion of depth is lost...

Hi Artie!

Welcome back and hope you had a wonderful trip! Hope to see lots of images!

Yep, eager to learn and eager to share something new ... need to figure out the best way to use these ideas to their best potential. Experimenting with different technical ideas is one thing ... but then trying to make it beautiful and "art" is the challenge! Thank you for everybody's input!

(BTW ... I posted the 400 px foxes for you in the panorama section while you were gone).