HHFS Macro Flower Images - Small Sensor Photography by Thomas Stirr

This article shares some recent handheld focus stacked HHFS macro flower images that were captured at the Royal Botanical Gardens. I’ve been experimenting with the in-camera handheld focus stacking technology resident in my E-M1X for a number of years.

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OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-500, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4284 pixels on the width, subject distance 755 mm

Our existing M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens has done an excellent job for us… so much so that my wife became interested in macro photography.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.7 EV, 1/500, ISO-1600, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3492 pixels on the width, subject distance 610 mm

Her interest, coupled with my desire to push my handheld macro photography further, led to us purchasing the M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS macro lens last year. Our original M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro lens has a new home in her camera bag.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, 1/320, ISO-1600, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 385 mm

Using the M.Zuiko 90 mm PRO IS macro… like any new lens… required a good amount of field practice in order for me to become reasonably proficient with it.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-320, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 325 mm

Having shot with this lens handheld for about a year has allowed me to become very comfortable using it with a range of macro subjects.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/5, 1/250, ISO-200, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4191 pixels on the width, subject distance 340 mm

During my recent visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington Ontario, I decided to get in tighter with many of my compositions.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-200, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 300 mm

Shooting downward into the centre of flowers handheld often required using the articulating rear screen on my E-M1X.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-2000, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 485 mm

Since I almost always compose my handheld macro images using the rear screen of my camera anyway, this felt very natural and comfortable for me to do.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-640, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4309 pixels on the width, subject distance 360 mm

In some cases I had to hold my camera in a stretched out position and could not press my elbows in against my body. This required some additional concentration, as well as the use of some faster shutter speeds.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/200, ISO-800, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 2914 pixels on the width, subject distance 285 mm

The small details of living things continually amazes me. Often when I create some HHFS macro flower images I lose track of time.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.7 EV, 1/500, ISO-800, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3601 pixels on the width, subject distance 410 mm

The intricacies of nature draw me in like a magnet.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-1250, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3340 pixels on the width, subject distance 305 mm

I love separating individual, tiny blossoms out from the surrounding background.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, 1/640, ISO-1600, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4729 pixels on the width, subject distance 370 mm

Purposely underexposing an HHFS macro flower image, then recovering some highlights in post can also help with subject separation.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, 1/400, ISO-800, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4115 pixels on the width, subject distance 275 mm

Over the past year I’ve become more comfortable stopping my M.Zuiko 90 mm PRO IS macro lens down to f/8 or f/11 when creating HHFS macro flower images.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-640, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 305 mm

Experimenting with my macro gear will no doubt continue unabated.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/10, 1/320, ISO-1240, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 240 mm

There are so many scenarios and creative interpretations to explore.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -1.7 EV, 1/320, ISO-640, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 2916 pixels on the width, subject distance 300 mm

Looking for small points of light and using exposure compensation when needed is always part of the creative process.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, 1/320, ISO-4000, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 310 mm

The output from an HHFS macro flower image is a jpeg, so I try to limit my ISO value as best I can. There are occasions when a subject cries out to be photographed… and the resulting noise has to be dealt with in post.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.7 EV, 1/500, ISO-1000, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 370 mm

Some photographers will choose to combine the corresponding RAW files that are captured when using handheld in-camera focus stacking in post. That is not my inclination.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/5, -0.7 EV, 1/640, ISO-160, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4764 pixels on the width, subject distance 655 mm

I’ve always hated working in post and try to limit my time to a maximum of 3-4 minutes per image. The out-of-camera jpeg files featured in this article were very efficient to process in post with the vast majority of them taking less than 3 minutes each including processing time.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0,3 EV, 1/200, ISO-1600, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3203 pixels on the width, subject distance 305 mm

Incorporating a discernable, but out of focus element in the background, can help to add a feeling of depth to a composition.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -o,7 EV, 1/320, ISO-200, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3340 pixels on the width, subject distance 365 mm

Photographing whisper-fine details can add to the challenge of using handheld in-camera focus stacking… but also add to the feeling of accomplishment.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-250, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3648 pixels on the width, subject distance 315 mm

Macro photography puts us on a journey of discovering the small details of life. It can become an addictive pursuit.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, 1/640, ISO-1250, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 3340 pixels on the width, subject distance 570 mm

There is a gentle balance to be found in nature. Looking at a blossom is to look at living perfection.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/11, -0.3 EV, 1/320, ISO-500, in-camera handheld focus stacking, cropped to 4842 pixels on the width, subject distance 410 mm

Drama can be found when photographing flowers. Contrast and the natural coordination of individual elements have their own beauty and visual power.

OM-D E-M1X + M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 Macro PRO IS, efov 180 mm, f/8, -0.3 EV, 1/250, ISO-320, in-camera handheld focus stacking, full frame capture, subject distance 555 mm

Pursuing our photographic passions leads us to experiment with our camera equipment and use it in ways that best enable our creativity. For me, HHFS macro flower images are an integral part of my journey.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera equipment noted in the EXIF data, in natural light. All images were created from out-of-camera jpeg files using my standard process in post. Handheld in-camera focus stacking (HHFS) was used for all of the images featured in the article. A stack of 10 images with a focus differential of 5 was used for all of the photographs in this post. This is the 1,456 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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Technical Note

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