Flowers from a Welsh garden #2 - Rhododendron

[rob marshall]

Six manually focussed shots using a Canon 5D Mk2 and Sigma 105mm macro lens. Stacked in CS5. Studio lit with two flash-heads.

If you missed #1 it's here... Flowers from a Welsh garden #1 - Chive



Here's a screen print at about 120% so you can see the detail.

[jiro]

Rob, you are a master of stacking! I hope that someday, I could learn how to take shots like this.

[ilovelucydog]

Beautiful vibrant colors, Rob.

[jeeperman]

Well done Rob. Great looking Rhody and you did an excelent job with the color, which I might say is no easy feat with this particular color of Rhody.

[rob marshall]

Well done Rob. Great looking Rhody and you did an excelent job with the color, which I might say is no easy feat with this particular color of Rhody.

Thanks, Paul. I did very little processing with this shot. A slight tweak of the contrast in RAW and a little bit of clarity slider. That was it. The exposure and colour are what the camera took. I used auto WB.

[rob marshall]

Rob, you are a master of stacking! I hope that someday, I could learn how to take shots like this.

Jiro

I know I keep saying this, but I mean it. It's very easy for anyone to do these shots. All it needs is a bit of patience. If you are careful in the manual focussing, the actual work is all done by CS4/5. Then you just do any tidying up to get rid of dust etc on the black areas and repair any blemishes on the flowers, a slight tweak of contrast and a few other things and you are done.

[abhi]

If you are careful in the manual focussing, the actual work is all done by CS4/5.

Have you tried using a focusing rail, Rob?

[rob marshall]

Have you tried using a focusing rail, Rob?

Yes, I have. But I've never had any real problem with getting the stacks aligned properly. On the few occasions that I have, it's been down to camera movement because I knocked it. I think you might get slightly better results with a rail, but I don't have that much patience.

[abhi]

Yes, I have. But I've never had any real problem with getting the stacks aligned properly. On the few occasions that I have, it's been down to camera movement because I knocked it. I think you might get slightly better results with a rail, but I don't have that much patience.

I was just curious. The only time I have tried stacking was when I was testing out the 50mm reverse macro, and needless to say the results were not exactly spectacular, but I felt decent, given that I was hand holding both the camera and the lens.

[rob marshall]

I was just curious. The only time I have tried stacking was when I was testing out the 50mm reverse macro, and needless to say the results were not exactly spectacular, but I felt decent, given that I was hand holding both the camera and the lens.

I have seen some amazing shots that are hand-held and stacked. Given that you don't get much leeway for alignment in the software that's some feat.