First go at Macro & Stacking

[twhite87]

There me was, sitting in the office thinking 'What can I photograph? I'm bored!', when this little critter flew in and landing on the desk. So I thought 'I know, I'll have a go at some macro and use the Raynox 250 I bought on a whim a few years ago and never used!'

This is the resultant image. I know it's only a beginners effort, but please do let me know what you think.

Ladybird by Tim White, on Flickr

 

[Kodiak Qc]

•
I recognize that this result is not to the measure of your effort!

What was your setup?
How many slices?
What ƒ stop?
What software did you use?

 

[twhite87]

View attachment 55240

This is the setup I used. 75-300mm at about 300mm, with raynox 250 attached, double flash, settings were f20, 1/100th.

 

[twhite87]

5 images stacked in PS CS

 

[Kodiak Qc]

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I am not a PS user but I know it can work ok for stacking.

ƒ 20 is bad, try ƒ 8 or 11 max.
Do more slices and remember to include the very back in the slices.

See if you could avoid the specular highlights as you're at it…

Good luck!

 

[Monkeyhanger]

Diffused flash is the best way to handle the highlights and avoid harsh shadows.