Mojo ignited! Soul food

 Normally I start each year with some new photography plans, involving what I would like to learn over the course of the next year, any challenges I would like to try and genres I fancy attempting to learn or improve in. However, for the last six months or so I have been feeling very lost with my photography, I have not known what direction I wanted to move in. Its not that I lost my mojo or motivation, it was more a lack of direction and it has taken a lot of soul searching, exploring and discussion with peers before I finally felt good about my journey forward.

 Over the last 3 months I have been honing my skills in macro, more specifically with focus stacking, which I have enjoyed to a point, but the whole process has been very rigid and precise, which stifled my creativity a little. Taking up to 200 photos for one image, coupled with the lengthy set up procedures and the nightmare of constantly running out of storage space plus my computer repeatedly complaining at the ridiculous processes demanded of it lead to me feeling less than satisfied. This was a far cry from the " losing myself in the moment" type of photography that I love, taking me away from the therapeutic, mindfulness side of creating. Don't get me wrong, I am happy with some of the images I've produced, but the process was not feeding my soul. One decision I have made is to still follow this path with macro, but to mix it up with my other plans so that my computer doesn't pack its bag and leave home 😄 and so my brain can still enjoy a bit of escapism with other ideas. Which means 2023 will involve more focus stacking and macro stereo 3D images, but not week in and week out.

Being a member of a couple of very friendly and supportive Facebook photography groups has had its benefits during this process. I opened up about how I was feeling and received a wealth of bolstering, encouraging posts full of suggestions, some of which I decided to take on board. During the same week there was a post advertising a free online mini course all about food photography as a business. Food photography was at the top of my radar for starting to learn about, so I jumped right in. Health restrictions meant I was unable to fully participate in taking the photos on the specified days - I tried but struggled just to poach an egg, never mind set up the shot and take it. Instead I concentrated on learning what I could day by day. Even though it only involved a couple of hours watching and learning each day, I was completely exhausted with all the extra mental activity, its astounding just how much M.E affects cognitive abilities as well as physical. I made notes for myself  and was able to catch up with the last videos a bit later. The information included covered many areas, as we were encouraged to ask questions, received critiques and feedback, as well as guest speakers. The business, marketing and website advice was eye opening, having changed so much over the years, certainly something I need to brush up on if I want to earn from photography. All in all it was a brilliant week and I'm very grateful to Emma Dunham for running the course, highly recommended. Do check out her website and food academy. 

 As a result of the course, coupled with my attempts to produce some food photography images for a competition, and discussion with peers I have found my motivation has soared. I feel inspired again and know which directions I want to pursue on my journey  over the next year or so. You guessed it, food photography is most definitely one of those choices, but I need to find ways to make it  possible, because I am still unable to manage energy demanding activities, which means adapting, learning new ways that I can do this. Planning is going to be the key thing here, I have already learned that I need to write everything down, broken down into steps, because I forget and get muddled too easily. I have already made so many mistakes in my first attempts as my brain became too muddled. Michael had the brain wave of breaking everything down into steps, written down. On top of this I need to plan how to approach food photography over a few days, as I have discovered that doing it all in one go is too much for me, having a knock on effect of making my symptoms worse for several days. So I can plan one day, set up back drop/set top/lights one day, organise props one day, prep what food I can another day ( some foods can be prepared a day before as many food are made to appear fresh by using various tricks) This will leave my energy to get creative on the day that I shoot. But I won't do food photography too frequently unless I can get creative easily, because I don't want to end up feeling the way that I have, I need the type of photography where I lose myself in the moment. I'm going to mix it up with a bit of still life too.

 That is two areas I will be concentrating on, two projects as such. The next is one that was suggested by several members of the wonderful SheClicks group, I have joined 52frames this week, it involves taking a photograph based upon a theme each week and should get me trying new things. This week just happens to be food, next week is details. I have joined a SheClicks subgroup which I didn't know existed - SheClicks 52frames, which I'm sure will be friendly, helpful and inspiring.

Others things I am considering looking into this year include exploring the idea of producing a book, looking into doing a webinar and possibly being involved with some youtube videos.  I want to do short online presentations but due to cognitive and memory difficulties which can occur after even short conversations I do not currently feel comfortable or confident in this approach, so I think that a pre recorded  webinar which I can break down in sections could be a way forward, but I need to get to grips with how to do the video and slide presentation - I have tried but for some reason my brain has struggled with some of this, but I'm determined to find a way to do it, even if I need a bit of help to get started. 

Now that may sound a lot to be going on with,  I will be taking my time with my projects, there is no rush, I have all the time in the world to learn. The food photography and focus stacking are long term journeys, the 52frames can be anything from a quick phone snap to something planned in minute details, depending on time, opportunity and energy, though I intend to try to use this as a chance to immerse myself in creative ideas once a week. As a future challenge I may even try to produce a couple of images to enter into Pink lady food photographer competition next year, that will give me plenty of time to come up with ideas and execute them to the best of my ability. I already have one idea where I need to learn a few techniques in order to produce my vision.

 The other ideas I can dip into as time goes by, plus I will be creating through painting and drawing at times too, so I have plenty to keep me occupied. On top of that there is someone who I would like to help with their photographic journey.

 I'm feeling very motivated, inspired and curious about my photography adventure

Focus stacked 3D Stereo pair images - A possible game changer for macro photography?

  After joining the Allan Walls macro community I became aware of stereo imaging due to a challenge being set and a great introductory tutorial. So I threw myself into a new challenge as its just the type of photography I can do from home when Im not managing to do much.

To start with I tried photographing 3 focus stacks of the same subject - ( a taxidermy insect specimen or flower) where I rotated the subject aprox 4-8 degrees between the stacks. When viewed side by side this should produce a 3D image and I was pleasantly surprised when my results paid off very quickly. Although at first I was unaware that if the images are placed in the wrong order the 3D image can appear as if its going away from you rather that the  goal of it coming towards you. 

Now getting everything prepared, set up, lighting right, the focus stacking done correctly, then the lengthy process of stacking images in appropriate software followed by finely detailed editing to ensure each image is edited precisely the same is not for the faint hearted. I have had to learn about taxidermy insect specimens, where to obtain them, how to clean and relax and position them, followed by the fiddly process of setting them up for photos. Then the lighting  can take time as many of these subjects can be super shiny, requiring several layers of diffusion material to avoid specular highlights, plus mini reflectors made from foil to lighten up the areas light doesnt reach. All this within a very tight space, often with the lens within  inches of the subject.

I have now changed from using Michaels Z6 and using my own Sony A7iii on my new WeMacro automated rail which I do prefer for focus stacking - this is controlled on my phone. I feel that almost all my focus stacking works well with this set up, where previously I often had errors in the stacks.

I am using a variety of lens but mostly my Sony 90mm macro lens, sometimes with extension tubes, and sometimes with a Raynox 250. My other main choice of lens is my new Canon MPE 65 MPE, which is taking a bit of getting use to, but is giving me great results. This requires an adapter to fit my camera and I have had some minor issues with connectivity, but Im persevering.

Now that I have had a couple of months practicing the techniques I think Im ready to attempt getting more adventurous with my set ups and will try to add in more depth, using both insects and layers of flowers. Ultimately I want to do this to give lots of depth and interest, loads of details but whilst retaining some of the out of focus bokeh that I love. So its a journey to see what I can create. 

If you are new to stereo photography I will warn you that not everyone is able to view these easily, some people can only see the 3D image with a 3D stereoscopic viewer. I'm very lucky, I can easily defocus my eyes and see most stereo pairs within seconds.  At first I found that crossing my eyes and bringing the images closer to my eyes then very slowly moving the images away, helped me to see the 3D version. Sometimes I find it easier on my computer, sometimes on my phone. 

What I love is seeing macro images that 2-5x life size as stereo pairs as these show depth and detail like I have not seen before, this excites me and is what is pushing me to create more.

I have since come across Brian May's website where I am learning a bit more about this genre, here he encourages people to try creating stereo pairs using mobile phones and a dedicated app - something I intend to try soon. I have purchased a pair of his owl viewers but neither my partner nor I can see the stereo images using these. His websites contain many other useful links and I am working my way through these to learn more. I've not found many photographers using this technique in focus stacking macro photos, but hoping to soon as it will be good to connect with more who are interested in it. 

As for editing the pairs of focus stacked images - this can take hours if the insects are not pristine. If they are not edited identically this can throw off the stereo effect and it just wont work properly.

Watch this space for more this year as its a project I intend to work on all year. I would love to hear your thoughts on this project and any suggestion in the comments or in a message on social media. - EDIT a couple of days after writing this someone suggested that it may be easier for people to view the 3D images if I presented them as 3 images and yes, more people who could not see the 3D version with two images can now see them for the first time. So at the bottom I have added the triple image versions. 

My Focus stacking journey part 2

 Back in February I wrote a little on how I was starting to try out focus stacking and ended up trying out some super close ups of an interesting beetle and other small objects such as tulip stamens. These images involved a great deal of patience and up to 300 photos per stack. Since then I moved on to using focus stacking out doors for floral and fungi images, which luckily required a lot less frames due to the nature of what I was capturing. I would say that most of my photography from late spring through to winter was centred around trying to produce floral or fungi images with a nice out of focus foreground and background whilst getting as much of the subject in focus as possible. Whilst using a longer lens helped me to achieve this on location at time, it was not always practical or possible, so this is where focus stacking came in useful. I did also try a few floral images where everything was in focus such as the lovely Red Ranunculus below which took 78 photos stacked to get this result, using the Nikon Z6 plus Sigma 105 macro lens shooting at F18 with lighting to get every tiny detail. Whilst I like it, I prefer the atmosphere and mood that a bit of shallow depth of field gives such as the next image of the same flower below where I combined a short stack shot at F10 of the centre part of the plant with a shallow depth of field shot.

For further comparison below is a single shot taken with my Sony A7ii plus Sony 90mm macro lens at F18, using studio lighting, of the same flower. Now this is my favourite of the 3 images, with the 1st shot being my least favourite.

I have also been lucky enough to have the opportunity to try focus stacking butterflies whilst they were in torpor - still asleep early in the morning - if you are very careful not to disturb them too much then sometime you get lucky and manage to photograph a full stack. Its down to luck, the temperatures and weather etc. I find the best time to photograph butterflies and most other insects in early morning, I cannot run around chasing them for photos, so Im better off slowly looking at dawn for roosting specimens.( luckily my partner enjoys photographing them too and has a knack of spotting them which is helpful). It helps if you are aware of the species that are around at different times of year and the plants/trees/habitat they prefer. For instance early spring sees the emergence of Orange tip butterflies which lay their eggs on Cuckoo flowers, as this is what their caterpillars feed on. So if you know a spot where there are Cuckoo flowers then you will increase your chances of finding them roosting nearby.

 Its worth taking along a mini tripod and also maybe a printed backdrop photo or two - just in case the surrounding area is too cluttered and buy to achieve a nice clean image. The stacked image below involved using one of my out of focus backdrops. I did find the butterflies would sometimes move their antennae or wings, or even walk around as the awaken, its just patience and luck getting a stack that is usable.

With insects, if they are still sleepy in the morning and they are not in a position to photograph, it is sometimes possible to place a more pleasing plant just in front of them and ever so gently touch their legs with it, sometimes they will sleepily step onto the new plant, but other times they will wake and fly away. I also carry a tiny pair of scissors with me so that I can snip any distracting elements of vegetation out of the way, providing its not an uncommon plant etc.  Alternatively vegetation can be held out of the way with a clamp, clip or blue tac etc, the aim is to not damage the environment.

Above is another focus stack where I have used one of my printed photographs in the background.

Below is one of my favourite focus stacked floral images this year, it took quite a bit of setting up and was achieved in our dining room, sat at the table. I used an out of focus photo in the background, placed my flowers between the camera and backdrop, then added more flowers behind the main Cyclamen flowers and a few right in front of the lens to get more or a hazy blur. It only took a stack of 18 frames to achieve and is pretty much straight out of camera other than the stacking in Helicon. It was shot at F4. 

I used the same technique for the next two aswell.

As the year progressed I started t try out focus stacking mushrooms, sometimes on location and sometimes at home, creating mini set ups in our home studio/dining room. The more I tried focus stacking on location, the more I discovered I needed extra bits and pieces to my kit, taking along small LED lights, a Gorilla pod, a mat to lie on, foil/reflector, cocktail sticks and floristry wire to help hold things in place. Even with mushrooms the wind can have a detrimental effect so I needed to avoid windy days as this did ruin a few stacks. My first few fungi attempts were at a lovely spot at Wallington hall woodlands, just off the path where I found quite an array of species and pleasing backdrops. Below are two from my first proper attempt at this location. Both required use of a stable mini tripod, a shutter release cable or use of the time function and adjustable led lights to balance against daylight. I found LED lights work better for me than flash, I can take a quick focus stack this way, minimising the chance of movement - with flash there needs to be time between each shot to allow the flash unit to recharge.

I did take some mushroom specimens home to practice on, only if they were growing in abundance and below are a couple of examples. I wanted to be able to take my time to get everything right at home and add in the faux rain aspect. Im thinking this specimen below  is Lactarius rufus due to its brick red colour and because it was growing near pines, amongst sphagnum moss at Wallington Hall NT, Northumberland. This is a focus stacked image of 80 photos at F4.2 taken on a Nikon Z6 with a 105 macro lens and circular polariser to reduce glare. I sprayed water during one photo to mimic rain.

I used one of my out of focus backgrounds behind it, plus leaves from the woodlands floor to create the foreground haze. Photographed using studio lights. I sprayed water in my final photos and only used one of these in the stack. 

After processing in Helicon I still found that there was some fringeing around my subject which I  had to fix in photoshop - not so easily done with the water droplets, but I have an easy fix for a clear background.

I used pretty much the same  set up for the Amethyst Deceivers below - a stack of 72 images

Below is another set up created at home of Waxcap mushrooms which I had to glue in place ( they are found amongst grass usually), it won a couple of Gold awards with the SWPP and NPS in the macro category.

When shooting focus stacked images outdoors I often find that the background of the final stacked image can be messy due to foliage etc moving in the wind. So once stacked in Helicon I now replace the messy background with one from a single image from the stack - usually fairly easy to do using the select object tool and masking. This also helps to remove the resulting fringeing around the subject. I used this technique in the image below as the out of focus leaves had moved substantially during my stack.

I did find as the months went on that I was attempting more challenging ideas, often taking quite a bit of time to get right. Such as getting mushroom bokeh shapes in the background bokeh and trying creative lighting. This Hedgehog mushroom below really needed a bit of creative lighting to help show off the wonderful details. This was a stack of 65 images and required several lights.

 The image below is a focus stack where I held a mushroom in front of the lens to obtain the mushroom shape in the bokeh 

Then there is this puff ball image, which is a stack of 31 images, composited with the spores from me pressing the backs of the puffballs with floristry wire etc Definitely a technique I need to work on more

So as you can see I have progressed but still have lots to work on to improve, but its a fun journey

I have entered a few of these images into International garden photographer of the year in the mushroom category and the portfolio category. Watch this space for news on whether any get placed