Dahlia Trio

You're having image stacking fun, Craig.

Most of the stack looks good but there's one area just under the two orange Dahlias in which I think I see a bit of OOF areas on the yellow petals, and my eyes could be playing tricks on me.

What f/stop did you shoot this at, Craig?

And are you using the rail for anything beyond the initial setup?

Thanks,

Carol

Good Morning Carol,
I left the exposure info off, it's added now..... F/8. -1.5 3 sec ISO 100

I'm not sure what your eyes may be seeing, I blew up the image and the yellow area below the 2 orange looks to be well in focus.

"And are you using the rail for anything beyond the initial setup? " I have been experimenting with different settings, # of pics per stack, setup of rail & camera to shoot stack at different POV,, what did you have in mind? I know a stack can be shot with a much fewer number of pics, but from what I have read the processing software (Helicon soft) does a much better job with more overlap, more shots rather then less, which makes sense.)
I posted another stacked image in MACRO of autumn leaves. It may seem a bit counter productive, but I took the stacked image and ran it thru LR2 and then 2 filters from NIK, one of which was the "classic soft focus." Many would ask, why would you create a stacked image that obtains crisp detail and then soften it with a filter. Well, after checking the detail both before and after the classic soft filter their was little difference. Of course the other advantage of stacking is the great DOF, so I decided to keep the "classic soft filter" version because I like it. You can view the "Autumn's Carpet" images at...
http://www.naturephotographers.net/imagecritique/ic.cgi?a=vp&pr=158500&CGISESSID=a851179fb96a7dcd6ade8fe42a7618bc&u=12680

Craig

I love the black BG and the vibrant color Craig. It just pops off of the screen.

Lovely, Craig. The colors are so vibrant, the comp is excellent and the lighting looks great. What is a honeycomb filter? I imagine that it helps to soften the flash and give warmth to the image? As for the stacking, way beyond me but I love it! Keep em' coming.

Beth,
Hello and thanks for taking time to view my posting. I'm experimenting with my new speedlite and purchased the "Honeycomb" filter for it at my local camera store. Your right, the 1/8" honeycomb filters the light into a smaller beam/portion lighting the subject. I have found that the filter and turning the speedlite power down to 1/128th gives a soft lighting effect that I like.
The honeycomb filters come in 1/8" and 1/4" diameter holes in the comb. You can find more info at.....
http://www.honlphoto.com/servlet/the-23/HonlPhoto-1-fdsh-8-Speed-Grid/Detail

Thank you, Craig

Vibrant colors and very nice comp.

Great complimentary colors and a very good set up. The red are a little too far out there for me, but that is just my opinion

Craig,

The stack looks good to me as does the lighting and I don't normally care much for artificial light. I really like the red flowers agains the yellow with the red tips. Beautiful image for my tastes - no suggestions.

Thanks for explaining the honeycomb filter. I'll certainly keep it in mind.

Pat

There is a certain vibrancy about this photo that makes it appealing, Craig . Implied Triangle in the composition makes it very strong.

Another delightful offering, Craig! Outstanding color and the contrast of the front one to the back ones is excellent.

You have done a great stacking job here and the lighting is fabulous - You have done a good job with the lighting and it has caught the attention of a few people including myself.

Nice stack Craig!
the image is really vibrant

Sure miss the Oregon dahlias!
THis is just exceptional - vivid colors, fine detail, nice grouping.

Sandy r

Hi Craig Again superb color and detail from stacking. and very well controled light, with the filter. great work here
Albert Darmo. Canada

Craig: Marvelous rendition and a superb color palette. Your stacking skills are getting to be pretty impressive. Well done.>=))>