Getting (slowly) to grips with Macro & Focus Stacking

 I've long been a fan of macro photography, but to date my attempts at this have been middling to poor. OK, some have been decent such as this image which actually made it into the Cornwall Wildlife Trust calendar for 2024. 

Par Market Fungus

OK, it's not really a macro image, but it IS focus stacked for increased depth of field and detail whilst still retaining an uncluttered background and I'm quite happy with it. Other trials have been less successful and whilst I have been able to turn out OK images of insects such as these ones of a Bumblebee and a Dung Fly below, they have not quite been of the stellar quality I have been aspiring to such as turned out by the Swedish Photographer Michael Widell and another teenage prodigy,  Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas who goes by the name of Naturefold on YouTube.

Bumblebee at South Bosent farm

Both these images have been submitted into the annual Nature competition of Wadebridge Photography Group, the club I joined this year. I don't expect to win this competition as the club also includes Adrian Langdon who is I believe the bast wildlife and certainly best bird photographer in Cornwall.  I recently bought a macro flash diffuser and flashgun to go with my Zeiss Touit 50mm f2.8 1:1 macro lens. However, although the Zeiss produces fantastic quality images, it is too short, both physically and in terms of focal length to deliver the kind of quality I have been seeking. 

Also, after a period of inactivity and having watched a series of inspirational videos from the above two, I resolved to recommence focussing (sic) on macro subjects.

Dung Fly at Lanjeth Nursery

However, easier said than done and initial results were less than impressive. as shown below.

Candlesnuff fungus.

Close, but no cigar as they say... Basically the part of the image that should be razor sharp, well isn't.😞 However, I persevered and the next image shot in my own back Garden (Yard to Americans) is of a decent standard and realises my vision to an acceptable level. Perfect it isn't as there are still some artefacts from the focus stacking software, but these are not intrusive.

Dogs Tooth Violet

 Returning to Helicon Focus has also resulted in a quicker and more intuitive workflow.

Helicon Focus - Excellent but pricey

There is a but though and that is the cost of the licences, particularly for the Pro version for what to me are relatively modest feature upgrades. However, I now feel able to go on and start making some images which do make best use of my setup. The next step is to go on and make even closer and more detailed studies of insects and fungi in particular which I think will require a change in hardware. Essentially, flighty insects need a longer focal length lens that is just that bit further away and for the smallest, more magnification. Lastly, there is a physical problem caused by my lens' lack of length which is that the AK flash diffuser projects beyond the lens outer edge restricting how close I can get and potentially disturbing small, skittish subjects.

The AK Flash Diffuser

A second problem is that my Godox TT350f ('F' for Fujifilm) whilst excellent in many respects, just doesn't quite have the ability to recycle and deliver a flash quickly enough to keep up with my camera. 

The model capable of that is the Godox V350 which has built in rechargeable batteries, but is double the price. Another example of buying cheap and repenting at leisure. Oh dear. Never mind, problems will be overcome and I now have an effective workflow, so watch this space for more macro stuff and possibly a Vlog or two.

But what do YOU think? Your Comments are very welcome.