This article features a selection of January outdoor macro images that were captured using handheld in-camera focus stacking. The winter season is not usually a time when we’d be out doing macro photography. We had a short respite from the cold weather so I thought it was a great opportunity to grab my camera gear to see what I could find in my yard.
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We experienced a colder than usual November and December. Most of what I could find in my yard were dead leaves and other plant debris. We have some potted plants on the deck that surprisingly still had a bit of colour left.
As regular readers know I’ve been using handheld in-camera focus stacking for a number of years now.
Since the output with in-camera focus stacking with Olympus and OM cameras is a jpeg I originally didn’t use this technology at all.
That was foolish of me… and caused by some ‘RAW snobbery’ on my part.
Once I started experimenting with handheld in-camera focus stacking when using our M.Zuiko 60 mm macro lens, I became a convert.
Handheld in-camera focusing stacking is now my preferred way to capture macro images of static subjects.
I also use it frequently when doing macro photography of insects and other critters, as long as they are motionless.
After we purchased the M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS macro lens, our M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro has migrated to my wife’s camera bag.
Since the 90 mm macro provides more in-field flexibility with its ‘super macro’ setting, and its ability to use teleconverters, I’ve been experimenting with my settings periodically.
When using our M.Zuiko 60 mm f/2.8 macro I typically used a stack of 10 images and a focus differential of 4 or 5.
When initially moving to the M.Zuiko 90 mm macro lens, I increased the stack to 12 images and continued using a focus differential of 4 or 5.
All of the images illustrated in this article were captured with an adjusted setting… using a stack of 15 images and a focus differential setting of 3.
I was very happy with my results… but I’m still not 100% sure that this will end up being my baseline setting when using handheld in-camera focus stacking with the M.Zuiko 90 mm f/3.5 PRO IS.
It will take more experimentation and practice with some other subject matter like butterflies at the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory.
Like all photographic genres, composition and light are key with any subject matter, including macro photography.
As I wandered around my yard with my trusty stool, I’d plunk myself down whenever I found some potential subject matter.
Then I’d adjust my position and shooting angles to get some smooth, muted backgrounds whenever possible.
For my style of handheld macro photography, the fully articulating rear screen on my camera is absolutely critical. I often have my camera in very unusual positions when shooting handheld macro. These shooting positions and angles are made possible by the articulating rear screen.
I shoot all of my handheld macro photography using the rear screen of my camera, as I tend to be much more physically stable when compared to pressing my camera up against my eyebrow. Using the rear screen rather than the EVF also gives me significantly more in-field flexibility.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from out-of-camera jpegs using my standard process in post. I used a stack of 15 photographs with a focus differential of 3 for all of the images featured in this article. This is the 1,502 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
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