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Hi,
I would be very grateful if anyone can help or give advice about focus stacking--
Do people use it in landscape photos? There are some beautiful shots of beaches etc with the entire picture in complete focus- how is this achieved?
I've just discovered that there are loads of different types of software to focus stack in macro-photography- is this used in landscape also?
Many thanks- and sorry for basic question
Stan
It is covered in this handy little tutorial on EPZ for macro work!
For landscape photography, I am no way an expert or competent user but what I have gleamed from Paul is by using a long exposure time and filters you can achieve great photographs with everything pin sharp. I'm sure he told me he achieves his fine art with F16 maximum aperture. He also told me (I must get this right), if you auto focus, then turn to manual and move the focus anti-clockwise slightly, it shifts the camera's 'infinity' focus DOF forward. This moves the wasted sky and horizon DOF forward to the forground.
Hopefully thats right! If not, I'm sure I will be corrected!
Andy
Andy,
Thanks very much for this, this is very good about the filters I was thinking of getting some-- but I'm still confused---aagh.
Should you focus on the foreground or distance? Do you use one focus point or a wide area?
I'm sure I read some photographers say they used multiple shots with various points in focus and then blend them in photoshop--
Stan
Stan,
You don't need to focus stack for landscapes providing you focus on or near the hyperfocal point - but note this changes dependant on your focal length and aperture. You need to look up Depth of field (dof) and hyper focal distancing. Have a look in the techniques section of this site and you'll find tutorials on them both.
Adam
As Adam says, in 'general', focus stacking with a wide angle lens for land/seacapes is not such a valuable technique. Wide angle lenses have a large DOF by design, especially when combined with a small aperture.
Focus stacking for landscapes comes more into play when using a longer focal length (medium telephoto lens and up), because as the focal length increases, the apparent DOF decreases. I have used focus stacking for landscapes successfully a few times when using my 70-200mm lens.
As with Stuart I too have used focus stacking a couple of time in my landscape shots. Normally where I've used a longer focal length or where I've had the camera placed quite low and close to some fg detail. Even with a small aperture sharpness throughout the shot from front to back was not achievable in a single shot, but usually though one shot can cover most of my landscape work.
I don't think focus stacking will be helpful with that lens, but the only way to tell is by inspecting closely one of your own pictures. If you are using it at the long end then it may me more warranted.
What filters are you looking at? If you want ND grad then the Lee-type system is very useful where the sky is much brighter than the foreground - Lee filters are expensive and I (and others) have got the Lee holder with HiTech filters. However, others swear by HDR or using AE bracketing to combine well-exposed sky from one image with well-exposed foreground from another.
For most landscape photography a set of ND Grads (soft and hard), maybe a strong ND and, some would say, a polariser are all you need.
Some folk swear by the Lee system, others swear at when they discover how much money they could have saved by buying the Chinese cheapies on eBay at 10% of the cost. I use a Cokin P holder and a variety of makes of filter, ranging from Cokin to Kood to the aforementioned Chinese junk. But make no mistake, the Chinese Junk is exceedingly good. I think that what it really comes down to, unless you want to spend hundreds of pounds on a wide range of Lee stuff, then you are almost certainly better off with £100 worth of less expensive filters which will cover all your needs rather than spending all your money on a single Lee filter (or maybe two). I'll guarantee you won't notice any difference in the quality of your landscapes once you have processed and printed them.
I have to disagree with leftforum in regards to the quality of filter systems. I tried a number of brands before buying Lee - the only brand I have been 100% satisfied with - I often found that a number of the cheaper brands (and in the case of cokin xpro a dearer brand) introduced a colour cast and in use some holders damaged the filters over time. The cost of all these systems when combined would have easily covered the cost of my Lee kit. HOWEVER: I wouldn't recommend to anyone to spend £100's on any kit unless they are certain they will get good use from it. I get the idea that you are new to landscape work - if you are at all unsure that this will be your primary interest - buy a cheaper band (unless you are made of money).
Thanks everyone! but is there lots of magic to this?
At this stage I think I've watched every tutorial on photography there is--
To totally deviate from the point -I spent hundreds and hundreds of hours flyfishing, read every book and magazine available-
Unfortunately I never caught anything except a tiny, fingerling trout.
Once I spent 3 hours in my waders casting and casting, moving up and down the river and when came back in the very same spot I had been in, a guy had a salmon taken from the very same spot in his rucksack.
If you read the magazines you have to get Orvis or some other fantastic gear because it's got special properties!
I really want to thank those who've tried to help but feel it's gotta be an art form!
Stan
Quote:
Once I spent 3 hours in my waders casting and casting, moving up and down the river and when came back in the very same spot I had been in, a guy had a salmon taken from the very same spot in his rucksack.
.
B@st@rd! Had he never head of "catch and release"? (Apart from making you feel inadequate.)
Yes - Lee are the Orvis of filters. But I have caught, literally, thousands of trout on cheapo Shakespeare tackle and home-tied flies.
Quote: but feel it's gotta be an art form!
Precisely. Whether fishing or photographing, it's not about how posh your equipment is, it's about your "feel" for the craft. Keep at it, in that frame of mind, and the craft will evolve.
Quote: I have to disagree with leftforum in regards to the quality of filter systems. I tried a number of brands before buying Lee - the only brand I have been 100% satisfied with
Sherlob - you are, of course, perfectly entitled to disagree. That is exactly what the Forum is all about and it would be a much poorer place if we all agreed like clones of Fox Talbot all the time. But I am interested in how you define "quality" in this context. Lee ND filters have a reputation for giving a very marked magenta colour cast - but that, of course, is very easily corrected in Lightroom or ACR. Cokin, in my experience, give a slightly orange cast, again easily corrected. Oddly, the ones with the least colour cast, in my experience, have been the cheap Chinese ones where you get 7 filters and a holder for £30. What I won't suggest is that they will last as long or be as free from any distortion. But durability is only of concern to the professional taking tens of thousands of images a year and minor distortion is of no consequence for landscapes (in the sense that no-one would ever notice it). Sure, if someone is loaded and can splash out on Lee filters or Orvis fishing tackle, then good for them. But I think your advice to Stan is correct - experiment with the less expensive options first.
.
.
No worries.
Like I said I have tried many brands and filter types. The only ones I never liked we're the Colin p series that introduced an horrendous pink cast to images - weirdly this was far more pronounced with longer shutter speeds. I have since heard that these problems have been corrected, but I've moved on...
I had similar problems with Cokin x-pro - probably the most expensive filters I have tried. In this case the cast often added a pleasant effect to the image, but to be honest I wanted to control when this occurred and I didn't want to be held at the mercy of the filter.
Another issue with the Lee filters was the holder. The nub that is intended to hold the polarising filter often caught the filter when it was placed in the first slot - over a relative short period of time this would lead to scratches on the filters surface.
With Lee I find the system a pleasure to use. The holder is very high quality, easy to apply and remove and it doesn't damage the filters in any way. It also has just the right degree of resistance. The filters are genuinely neutral in my experience - apart from the big stopper. For me this is the most important point. The graduation is easily used in both soft and hard varieties (on full frame). I don't find flaring a massive issue with the Lee filters - I have with other brands, and the filters are durable provided they are treated with respect.
I primarily shoot landscape/ fine art images. I've spent a significant amount on my camera and lenses and I don't want to reduce the quality of the images I take by cutting corners on my choice of filter. That said - I do own some cheap and cheerful filters too. E.g. a 7 day shop variable ND filter - but The point is I choose the tool I think is best for the job at hand.
Quote: Another issue with the Lee filters was the holder
Do you mean Cokin?
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