An unusual but interesting focus

[JBW]

[PRSearls]

A beautiful composition, Brian. Your soft light, good exposure and focus brings out the delicate texture of the pedals. I might brighten the whites just a bit if this doesn't mask the pedal's texture. They look slightly gray on my monitor. Really good macro image.

I was stationed at Clark AB in 1965-66. The Philippines and their people are beautiful! I was just getting started with my first Pentax SLR back then.

PRS

[JBW]

A beautiful composition, Brian. Your soft light, good exposure and focus brings out the delicate texture of the pedals. I might brighten the whites just a bit if this doesn't mask the pedal's texture. They look slightly gray on my monitor. Really good macro image.

I was stationed at Clark AB in 1965-66. The Philippines and their people are beautiful! I was just getting started with my first Pentax SLR back then.

PRS

I played with the brightness of the petals but they quickly started to lose detail. It was shot in the shade. Since 1965 the population has almost tripled so there is much less natural beauty and all of the problems associated with over crowding and poverty

[rpcrowe]

Brian...

I know how much you enjoy close up and macro / micro photography and how well that type of photography blends in with your handicap.

Here's a really-really cheap idea on just how to get another setup for some extreme macro work.

I recently picked up a used M-42 (Universal Screw Mount) bellows on eBay which I can attach to my Sony e-mount camera with a cheap adapter. The bellows cost me labout twenty five dollars while the adapter cost seven dollars.

I can use any of the M-32 mount lenses that I play with on my A6500 but, I just found a Russian Industar 110mm f/3.5 enlargng lens which I intend to use on the bellows when I receive the lens. The lens cost me a grand total of $5.50 USD including shipping. In actuality, the very best lens to use on a bellows is a Nikkor 105mm macro that is built especially for bellows work. However, that lens would cost over $100 USD and I don't think that it would be twenty times better than the Industar. I ordered a M-39 to M-42 adapter for the Industar lens to fit on the bellows. That adapter cost me $1.00 USD.

As soon as I receive the Industar lens, I will set up the outfit and post some examples of my macro setup which will have cost me about $37 or $38 USD, give or take a few pennies.

Generally, enlarging lenses do pretty well used as macro lenses with extension tubes or even better with bellows units. The bellows units allow you greater flexibility than extension tubes...

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[JBW]

Brian...

I know how much you enjoy close up and macro / micro photography and how well that type of photography blends in with your handicap.

Here's a really-really cheap idea on just how to get another setup for some extreme macro work.

I recently picked up a used M-42 (Universal Screw Mount) bellows on eBay which I can attach to my Sony e-mount camera with a cheap adapter. The bellows cost me labout twenty five dollars while the adapter cost seven dollars.

I can use any of the M-32 mount lenses that I play with on my A6500 but, I just found a Russian Industar 110mm f/3.5 enlargng lens which I intend to use on the bellows when I receive the lens. The lens cost me a grand total of $5.50 USD including shipping. In actuality, the very best lens to use on a bellows is a Nikkor 105mm macro that is built especially for bellows work. However, that lens would cost over $100 USD and I don't think that it would be twenty times better than the Industar. I ordered a M-39 to M-42 adapter for the Industar lens to fit on the bellows. That adapter cost me $1.00 USD.

As soon as I receive the Industar lens, I will set up the outfit and post some examples of my macro setup which will have cost me about $37 or $38 USD, give or take a few pennies.

Generally, enlarging lenses do pretty well used as macro lenses with extension tubes or even better with bellows units. The bellows units allow you greater flexibility than extension tubes...

I'm looking forward to seeing the results

[JBW]

Nice shot.

I'm working on kinder genteler

[DanK]

Brian--a very nice composition. I have only two suggestions, only one of which you can do now. The one you can do now is the same as Paul's--I would brighten the flower a little to bring it out. The image has a limited tonal range now. However, I would do this with a local adjustment in order to keep the background dark and increase the separation between the two.

My other suggestion is for later tries. If you are going to deliberately limit the portion of the flower in focus (which I assume was your goal, and which is in any case almost inevitable with an image like this if you don't focus stack), it pays to pay a lot of attention to where the focal point is. You seem to have it somewhere behind the center of the flower. The leading edge of the leaf that sticks through the petals and the petal edge in front of it appear to be crisply in focus. I would move the point of focus forward. It often looks better not to have leading (foreground) edges blurred. Moving the focus point a little forward would avoid that and would also make the background even more blurred than it is, which would increase separation.

[JBW]

My other suggestion is for later tries. If you are going to deliberately limit the portion of the flower in focus (which I assume was your goal, and which is in any case almost inevitable with an image like this if you don't focus stack), it pays to pay a lot of attention to where the focal point is. You seem to have it somewhere behind the center of the flower. T

You're right I did pick a focal point. In this case the leading portion of the bright yellow center. Perhaps a poor choice.

[Manfred M]

Brian--a very nice composition. I have only two suggestions, only one of which you can do now. The one you can do now is the same as Paul's--I would brighten the flower a little to bring it out. The image has a limited tonal range now. However, I would do this with a local adjustment in order to keep the background dark and increase the separation between the two.

Dan - Try a white point adjustment and mid-point pull down on a curves adjustment layer. Much faster than a local adjustment. I know Brian likes dark backgrounds, so I made the background a tad darker than the original as well. Moving the mid-point to the left and right a bit is how the background can be darkened and lightened a bit, to taste.



As for selecting the focus point to be forward, I agree 100%. The leading edges (i.e. things in the foreground) need to be sharp and that applies to all images, not just macro work.

[xpatUSA]

Dan - Try a white point adjustment and mid-point pull down on a curves adjustment layer. Much faster than a local adjustment. I know Brian likes dark backgrounds, so I made the background a tad darker than the original as well. Moving the mid-point to the left and right a bit is how the background can be darkened and lightened a bit, to taste.



As for selecting the focus point to be forward, I agree 100%. The leading edges (i.e. things in the foreground) need to be sharp and that applies to all images, not just macro work.

Interesting to note that the slope of the curve has about doubled in the highlight area (foreground petals) bringing the benefit of more local contrast and hence "better" detail. I often find that just brightening highlights has an opposite effect ...

[Manfred M]

Interesting to note that the slope of the curve has about doubled in the highlight area (foreground petals) bringing the benefit of more local contrast and hence "better" detail.

Also significantly more tonal range by moving the white point from 255 to around 205. That impacts the global contrast.

Ted, while I know you know this, not everyone else does. Places where the slope of the curve exceeds 45°, those places will see an increase in local contrast. Places where the slope of the curve is less than 45° the local contrast will decrease.

[DanK]

Manfred,

Good suggestion

Dan


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