We'll assume you are using a DSLR for this, it's possible with higher end point and shoots and even mirrorless digital cameras, but the DSLR is really what you want to be using. Matte focusing screen (optional but really makes a huge difference).Cable release (optional but very helpful).The gear you will need to create photos that are good for focus stacking comprise of: What Gear Do You Need for Focus Stacking? This is where focus stacking really shines. While the lower drop on the stem is tack sharp and the one above it also seems very sharp, it's easy to see even at web resolution that the right most droplet is soft. The photographer says these three water drops are on a piece of moss only about one inch in height. A great example of a macro photograph that could benefit from focus stacking is this one: While very desirable, it can often result in less than stellar photographs. A longer focal length lens and a very shallow depth of field result in a pinpoint focal plane and often leave crucial elements of the image slightly soft. That's about where the similarity ends.įocus stacking is taking multiple photos at the same exposure but at different focal lengths and is best applied for macro photography.
Like HDR, focus stacking comprises of two main components series of photos of the same subject and some creative post processing.
With the same concept, focus stacking is also possible. For HDR photography it's the need of multiple exposures to compensate for what a digital sensor cannot do on it's own – properly expose both highlights and lowlights in an wide range photograph without sacrifice.
The HDR trend has come and, for many, gone, but what came of it is the easy-to-digest concept that creating one photograph may actually require several images, then blend them together.