Bronco Loco
Brand New
Brand New:
I feel that one never stops learning. I've only been doing photography for almost six years now but I feel there are still many things I have yet to master or even learn. One such technique I've been itching to try is focus stacking.
For those who aren't familiar with the technique it's the process of blending two different focus levels into one image in order to achieve pin-sharp focus that wouldn't be otherwise possible. This image is a composite of three exposures. I exposed one frame for the sky since it was very difficult to get a good enough exposure without getting blown highlights. It was difficult to get a good exposure because I was shooting into the sun. Another exposure was exposed for the background and middle ground. Since I was so close to the cholla cactus it was nearly impossible to get a pin-sharp focus on the foreground even while using hyper-focal focusing. For that reason the last frame was exposed and focused for the foreground, in order to achieve a pin-sharp focus.
After processing the RAW files, I had to combine the focus into one composite. I tried to combine the focus using Photoshop's photomerge function and then using the autoblend layer function but the results didn't really turn out very well. So I decided to download a 30 day trial of Helicon Focus which is a commercial software for blending focus. The results were very satisfactory!
Overall, I like the image. I wished I would have found a composition before the clouds lit up. Since I'm still not very familiar with Lost Dutchman State Park, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off as the sky started changing color. Although I missed most of the color I really like how the sun starts to peak through the thin clouds on the left side and adding a warm soft glow.
This image is copyrighted. Please don't use my images in any way without my permission.
Brand New
Brand New:
I feel that one never stops learning. I've only been doing photography for almost six years now but I feel there are still many things I have yet to master or even learn. One such technique I've been itching to try is focus stacking.
For those who aren't familiar with the technique it's the process of blending two different focus levels into one image in order to achieve pin-sharp focus that wouldn't be otherwise possible. This image is a composite of three exposures. I exposed one frame for the sky since it was very difficult to get a good enough exposure without getting blown highlights. It was difficult to get a good exposure because I was shooting into the sun. Another exposure was exposed for the background and middle ground. Since I was so close to the cholla cactus it was nearly impossible to get a pin-sharp focus on the foreground even while using hyper-focal focusing. For that reason the last frame was exposed and focused for the foreground, in order to achieve a pin-sharp focus.
After processing the RAW files, I had to combine the focus into one composite. I tried to combine the focus using Photoshop's photomerge function and then using the autoblend layer function but the results didn't really turn out very well. So I decided to download a 30 day trial of Helicon Focus which is a commercial software for blending focus. The results were very satisfactory!
Overall, I like the image. I wished I would have found a composition before the clouds lit up. Since I'm still not very familiar with Lost Dutchman State Park, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off as the sky started changing color. Although I missed most of the color I really like how the sun starts to peak through the thin clouds on the left side and adding a warm soft glow.
This image is copyrighted. Please don't use my images in any way without my permission.