Just wanted to put in my 2¢ on using helicon with a lot of images. I use the program a lot for commercial jewelry and cosmetic imagery using medium format cameras. We sometimes have 200+ images in a stack. Add on top the reflective nature of the subjects and we have a lot of artifact potential. I’ve found doing smaller 20-30 image stacks and then stacking those stacks gives the best outcome. Just something to try if you’re finding yourself having issues!

@CrowPal

29 күн бұрын

Thanks for that tip. I'll give that a try.

@noko2794

18 күн бұрын

What you're saying is, if there are 300 images, you stack 20 at a time, then 15 again? 1. 20 sheets each - stacking 2. Stacking re-stacking 15 photos. Am I right?

@Luikenfin

18 күн бұрын

@@noko2794 Correct!

I've tried macro photography with limited success. So, I have respect for anyone who does it well. And, you, do it well.

@Zunderfeuer

26 күн бұрын

I would love to do it, but I am mainly geared towards wildlife with mid to high mm area. And Iowa lenses are sadly so hard to get used here and in my price range ( which is being poor as dirt xD)

Flash! you need a flash (or other lighting system) to keep consistent lighting on the subject. many use a hood or dual flashes to control lighting to keep that consistency in their stacks. i say this from studying others, preparing for my own experience with digital macro. kind of surprised nobody else has suggested it. really enjoying your videos! 😄

@vireogilvus

27 күн бұрын

I cannot fathom attempting 5x using natural light. Flash and good diffuser and the macro world becomes your oyster.

@davidf9494

25 күн бұрын

Staying away from AutoWhite Balance is helpful with focus stacking as the light can change while shooting a focus stack.

@danielbrooks6268

24 күн бұрын

100% agree - flash is CRITICAL in macro. I use 2 Godox with diffusers and even without stacking this lighting control makes a huge difference.

@ty6941

23 күн бұрын

This lens from Laowa does have a LED light that fits over the top of it using the cap threads

@AlexanderRay92

18 күн бұрын

​@@ty6941 not nearly bright enough, even at 2.5x mag on my laowa around f5.6 (sharpest before diffraction) I drain my flash near max power

With all the rain you experience, you are an honorary coastal British Columbia resident. I think you should go for a "boots" sponsorship.

@George_Bland

18 күн бұрын

Britain is famously rainy

Thanks Courtney, for my little bit of Sunday zen.

I have the 2.5-5x and love it. It’s sharpest around f/4-5.6. I’m sure you already know this but don’t touch anything for about 2 seconds after rotating the rail knob - takes a sec to settle…even when using a remote trigger.

That white toothed slime mould is Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa. And the little baby ones in the last part of the video are Panellus stipticus

I find your videos incredibly inspiring and a little bit magical. When it comes to close up photography, I believe Macro photographers do it in controlled environments (easier but a lot less fun).

Once again Courtney- great video. Over the months of watching you, my photography has improved immensely! Thank you for all the pointers you always pass on to your viewers. As always, we'll be watching over your shoulder from Port Angeles, WA., USA! Take care, be safe, STAY DRY!

Going from 1:1 to 2:1 was a long learning experience for me, I cannot imagine how much more challenging it would be to go to 5:1, but I want to 😁. Thank you or sharing your experiences with us!

such a down to earth, authentic and easy going individual. I appreciate that most of the footage was on location, which is obviously way more work constantly having to setup your recording camera. Not to mention having to lug another camera and tripod around with you through the forest. As for improving the quality of your pictures, I recommed using a speedlite and a small diy softbox to be able to shoot intependent of natural light. When doing Macro photos, I suggest you go to Mirror Up mode 12:44 so you can minimize camera shake induced by the mirror (provided you have a cable release).

In the field 5x macro is really hard. Any wind, even rain can cause vibration. I would say absolutely no VR or IBIS on a tripod and use a diffused flash to freeze each shot with a higher shutter speed, with high speed synch if your camera supports it etc could help in a situation like that. You're certainly not the only one that has mishaps with 5x macro, no worries. Quite refreshing watching a video about realities actually. Keep up the good work, cheers, Robert.

Thank you for showing your failures and I hope you get a chance for a revenge macro photography video! It really goes to show that photography is an art form, and we try to hone our skills to create something we can satisfied with. I love your videos too because it feels like I am discovering and learning through watching them with your quirky humor. Have you tried macro with flash out in the field? I've never done macro myself, but I've watched others that use it to great effect. Good luck in your macro journey!

Dear Courtney, thank you so much for doing the micro-shoot(s) and filming them and uploading them here. I enjoyed the whole video - even when you failed, you showed us what went through your mind and displayed the results. This is not a failure as such, this is going through the lessons of our craft and how much more you have a grip of this feature of our skills. Thank you so much - I really enjoyed this. Respect! :¬)

I have a Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro which I use with my Canon 5Ds. I also have a focusing rail. I think that the big challenge with 5x is that the images are not easily recognizable. When people look at the images, you might get "What is that?" We see the same "strangeness" when we look at the images. So a good strategy (I think) is to pick a tiny structure that will be recognizable, like a single seed from a dandelion gone to seed. Otherwise, we can end up with Vincini's, "What in the world can THAT be?" Using flash with a diffuser will get you more consistent light. There were forest elves in the background when you were prone on the mossy tree,

Don't get discouraged. What you attempted to do is extremely difficult to do in the field, as you found out. Even under controlled conditions (indoors) there are many things that can ruin a stack. You may want to use the camera's intervalometer to take the number of shots you need, one shot every five seconds or so. Then all you have to do is turn the rail's wheel right after each shot, and take your hands off the rail. The five second delay should be enough to let any vibrations dissipate. You can find out in advance how many shots you will need by focusing on the nearest part of the subject and counting the turns it takes to get to the farthest. As for the shifting light, you may want to consider using a flash and a diffuser for macro shots. Set the camera's aperture, shutter speed, and ISO so that without flash you get a black frame. Then dial in the flash power needed to properly illuminate the scene. This takes a bit of trial and error if you are using the flash in manual mode (as recommended). I find that anywhere between 1/8 and 1/16 power works well at the short distances involved.

I was a macro guy 10 years ago and I'm suprised to see how little has changed. That lense is a bit of a game changer for us Nikon people, (our own MPE65, finally). Almost makes me want to pick up the old D800 again.

Thanks for the demonstration! It’s is amazing to watch and learn from someone using the equipment and demonstrating learning through failure. Most videos show only success.

You did a great job of not shouting expletives and blaming anything but yourself when you saw that the fungi in your initial set of images was not sharp. Way to stay composed :)

It takes a special kind of person to take so much care and persist with x5 magnification. I'm still at the x2 level, love my Laowa 65mm for moments like these. Good luck with your endeavours.

Excellent video! I’m inspired by your patience.

Loved your expression, when you heard thunder. Macro is fun. Deep into another world.

Hello, Long time macro/micro photographer from the far, far, side of the pond, (California, USA). Given your stated preference for being out in the field photographing what interests you in the field in mind, I share the following observations and information. I have the Laowa 2.4-5.0X lens also. I have been most successful in taking macro photographs in the field with the Laowa when I use it with the Novoflex Castle-M focusing Rack. The Novoflex Castle-M focusing Rack was designed with the Laowa 2.4-5.0X lens in mind. If I am just wandering about in the field looking for interesting creatures and fauna I mount two or three Adaptalux Flash Arms with diffusers on a two sided Arca-Swiss rail. Atop that is my D850, Laowa lens mounted on my Novoflex rail. Of course everything mounted on a sturdy tripod. I am not affiliated with or recommending any of the above mentioned equipment. There are many alternative equipment configurations that will work just as well. Godox sells some excellent flash units. Using flash units with diffusers work well to reduce lack of sharpness in my wandering about macro photography. Flash units when used appropriately "freeze" the subject in the image you are trying to capture. I also recommend Lester Lefkowitz's "Manual of Close-up and Macro Photography, Volume I and II", and/or "Macro Photography, The Universe At Our Feet" by Don Komarechka. Again not affiliated with either. A website that I subscribe to, in addition to yours, is "photomacrocrophy.net". Best of success in your adventures in the world of macrophotography.

@brianwarner9106

26 күн бұрын

Thats like $1700 worth of equipment. You can throw money at any problem but I think this channel is more geared towards the hobbyist. She doesnt even own the lens ffs.

Those ppl are like what in the F is that lady doing on that log?

Thanks Courtney for another great video, look forward to seeing your next outing, keep up the great work.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It was quite helpful.

I love your persistence and resilience, I wish I had the same.

Thanks for the great video and perspective of macro photography!!

Excellent video Courtney it’s always good to try new things.

Thanks from Canada. I could never handle ALL the rain in the UK. It's like our west coast. Yuk !!! - I love our sunshine here in Ottawa Canada.

@redauwg911

29 күн бұрын

It was cloudy and rainy all day lol

Well done & well presented. I certainly enjoy your attention to woodland Macro - you're inspiring. Thanks from Canada

Really admire your patience Courtney, gave up with extreme macro in the field and take objects indoors where I can control the light and there is no wind. Haven’t tried the laowa lens but… thank you for another great, fun, video😊

Spendiferous video. Can feel your frustration, and your determination. Wonderful story line, rich content, and your personality is inspiring. Thanks for sharing.

Good idea with the eyeglass and an excellent tutorial on the pros and cons of macro photography in the field using a focussing rail. I definitely related to your video having the Nisi rail attempting to photograph a Damselfly head while it was supposedly was asleep covered in morning dew. I remember on my 25th shot it moved its head. I’m sure it was the sound of my old Canon 5D mkiii shutter that woke it up. I’ve watched an experts handheld successful attempt at a Robberfly using at high iso and fast multiburst slowly rocking forward. I think it’s worth whacking the iso up even on a tripod because a slight breeze or raindrop can move the subject. You can always denoising the final blended image. I’ve adapted my nisi rail to have a springy pin that is fixed on the rail and bent so it fits into the knurl of the rail knob. This clicks with each knurl when you rotated the knob for accurate increments when you get down to the super macro. The fold up crank handle is useless . I’m no expert and haven’t nailed any images yet but it’s great fun trying isn’t it. Look forward to your next super macro shoot.

Great video into the realities of attempting ultra-macro photography in the field Courtney. It's not difficult to figure out why this is so hard to achieve when you consider the following: attempting to photograph subjects that are millimeters in size, using a tripod + extension tubes + macro lens + camera + macro rails + wet uneven and nature littered ground = miniscule chances for success!! Kudos to anyone achieving the near impossible! All the best for your channel and your photographic endeavors Courtney!

I think if you take a picture with your iPhone “if you have one” then swipe up on the photo you will be given information on what you’re looking at, Im not certain about fungi but it works on tress flowers plants etc. its worth a try 😊

Cool video. Thanks for sharing the experience of trying a new technique.

Courtney, great video as always. I visited this weekend the tulip park ‘Keukenhof’ in the Netherlands (where I live), I hadn't done macro photography for a long time and I really enjoyed it a lot, seeing the small details that make up the big scenes we capture are the ones that show you the greatness of nature. Thank you very much for sharing your experiences. I love it.

I find your videos so inspiring, thank you ☺️

I admire your patience with focus stacking on location. I find it hard enough to get through a session indoors with controlled lighting.

Excellent content as always Courtney! Your videos are engaging to watch and must be a lot of work to put together.

As someone who loves macro nature photography and have been doing it for decades, I salute your attempts in trying this ultra macro work! To be honest, after watching the time you invested vs the results you got, I have no interest in trying this genre of nature macro photography. So, I'm really glad you tried it and posted this video! BTW, I love Helicon Focus software. I have always had great success with Method A myself. Take care Victoria and may you have consistent soft light and little or no wind for future outings!

@kevinmichener1914

29 күн бұрын

At the end of the day she will succeed and a door to a whole new world will open. Always strive for what is just achievable. Don't be left behind. Got my first camera in 1964, still striving, still learning, it's a blast. Thank you Courtney and yes I subscribed.

Wow, I thought regular macro was hard enough. This is something else. I admire your persistence!

Awesome vlog thanks. Have been looking into this myself and was great to learn the potential challenges.

Hi Courtney I have just found your channel. I will now be lost for the next few days catching up on all the videos. What is even better is you are working around where I live. You even had my house in the background in one video OK about three miles away. Keep up the great work.

Your production quality is really excellent. This gave me huge gardeners world/countryfile vibes and I loved it!

I have an older version of this Laowa called the Ultra Macro. I also have the dedicated ring light for it. It produces seriously interesting images even without focus stacking. Seems to perform best at about f/5.6 across the magnification range. An absolutely fun lens to work with.

Don`t give up Courtney . I did the same thing and was not happy but the more I tried the better i became I have found no matter what focus rail you use be it computer driven or manually there will be some kind of movement whether it be you or the shutter in the Camera. It is going to take time just keep Practicing Best of luck and it was still a Great photo for first time out using the Lense..

Great videography to explain your day out.

Tricky indeed! What makes it worse is that you can't always tell until you get home if you have missed any focus points. Never give up!

LOL @ the scene of people looking at you there, i think you should of said "come on over for macro workshop! You will absolutely love it!" 😁

After watching your recent macro photography videos, I decided to purchase a set of extension tubes. I figured this would be a less expensive way to get started. Admittedly, I have a long way to go, but I have been enjoying the journey. Keep up the amazing work you are doing.

I always enjoy your outings and wry humor but the editing side is equally fun. Thanks for making me chuckle over my dinner tonight! At least you're not coping with the winds I experience here in the northern Great Plains during the shooting of such subjects. I'm certain that you'll have this down to a fine science in the near future, though. Others have made some excellent little points in the comments and I haven't anything earth-shattering to add. Simply keep up the great work and thanks for sharing. :)

I was waiting for a video like this 😁. Ive discovered your videos/photos a couple weeks ago, and very much admire your work! I love macro and forest, (thats where I spend my time lol - obsessed with moss) it inspires my music. Great work, thank you 🤘🏽🌲

Yay! Another video from Courtney. They're addictive (because of your personality and enthusiasm! We can clearly see how much you love what you do ☺️). It would be great if you could try renting a mirrorless camera like the Lumix S5ii with the nes 100mm macro. The automatic focus stacking is awesome and makes the rail redundant. Keep up the wonderful videos ☺️

Fun video. Thank you for sharing.

I'd do some indoor shots first to get a feel for it. As others have said using a flash puts you in control of light, you'll need to overpower the light quite a bit if it's half sunny half overcast. I usually use a pocket bouncer with a white plastic bag (the crinkly type) over it to extend the 'softbox' over and around the subject, just out of shot. Stick a short strip of paper to the bottom of the lens end that will bounce some light under the subject overhangs. This gives that nice soft tone you see with overcast light. Sometimes you need a second flash to light up the background if it's farther away or you'll end up with a black background. Or fake a background by moving a branch or leaf closer in and pin it down. Or take your subject to your home studio ;) Check on the camera digital zoomed in all the way for good focus and follow it with the slider, 1/3 overlap should do the trick. Not sure what aperture you used, but I'd use as much stopped down as diffraction allows. Not sure if the stacking software can export the aligned images, but sometimes you can just manually stack them and selectively mask in/out sharp/blurry parts if the stacker didn't quite get it.

Ive tried macro with stacking and youre right it aint easy. Obviously the dof for each frame is microscopic. I made a test rig with pins in a piece of wood to practice on. Recently with a mirrorless camera and electronic focus the camera works out how many frames you need, given it knows the dof and the user sets the front and back focus limit. The results were it took 150 to photograph my car key. Thats far more than I would have done with manual control. So perhaps more frames needed, I don’t know. Zerene is my preferred stacking software. You’re doing great work.

This lens by laowa is a beast. It gives you opportunities you never had before but can drive you mad. I use the additional ring containing LED light. It makes photographing more easy but the ring can get hot. I prefer to use this lens at home when there´s definetely no wind but constant light. I photograph details of flowers or vegetables. A good opportunity for rainy days. Greeting from Bernd Laukoetter from Gemany

I wonder if the shutter firing might be causing a bit of vibration, might be worth trying to minimise the length of the arm assembly as much as possible by getting the tripod centre mount as close to the subject as you can..?

You look exactly like the kind of person who would try Super macro phorography, but like in a good way. Interesting and relaxing content.

I was very much expecting you to be dressed in a superhero outfit while shooting macro. This was a decent second option. Some lovely images.

Nice video! I use this lens both on a rail and hand-held. It's the perfect range for slime molds.

I upgraded to a wemacro auto rail a few weeks ago and the difference has been night and day. I can do 4x and 10x stacks with microscope objectives and it honestly just works which is crazy. The only problem with microscope objectives is that they flatten the field a lot. Portraits are almost sterile and analytical because it's hard to get context when your depth of field is 45 micron. We all have problems when we start out. Just keep pushing forward into the ultra macro space because it's a beautiful world.

The mirror lock-up setting can help, by allowing the camera to stop vibrating before releasing the shutter. Or just join the Mirrorless Cool Kids Club™. 😉

Very interesting Courtney... thanks for sharing...gear is amazing as I have never used anything more than just a macro lens 70-300mm..... still learning so your video's help...many thanks again.. cheers from Australia 🦘🦘😃

Thought you would have a flash as doing stacks. Another great video.

Sometimes.. sometimes.. practice makes perfection... Keep going!!

Great video, love the tiny fungi, I’ve been toying with getting this lens myself.

Excellent video thank you for sharing it, I appreciate the hard work that you put in & I'm sure you'll get there in the end :)

Excellent video and identifies a key learning which is the techniques required for this sort of photography take time and patience to master. When I decided to head down this path I took a different approach adding a Raynox to my existing macro lens as a starting point. I also bought a plastic focus rail as a toe in the water which was a fail as it was not strong enough to control the camera precisely. High magnification requires good light, a Godox wireless lighting system was acquired to replace my previous wired lights, offering more control and easy off camera placement options. Peaking is awesome but a larger screen would have been even more awesome, I never got around to that however. An external screen is easy to mount on the tripod and the mount comes with the vanguard tripod anyway. I spent a lot of time indoors working on technique and even managed to gather up some half decent images outside after a while. Combating movement and funky light changes outdoors seems to be the main challenge but as someone else mentioned rather than trying to process huge stacks into one image, do them in stages, progressively stacking stacked images seems to be a better approach much of the time. Thanks for sharing your interesting content.

Excellent video Courtney! Macrophotography focus stacking in the field is not easy. Does you camera has focus stacking stacking capability with automatically control the lens? I have a Canon and I don't need to use a rail which lightens my rucksack. I also use a lightweight pocket LED panel that adds some light when close to the ground under a forest canopy. Looking forward to watching your earlier videos and your next one! From a new subscriber in western Canada

I mounted my 105 2.8 micro on my bellows. its very critical with lighting and DOF was a fun excercise

I LOVE your videos and the way you present you and your pictures. This ist inspiring me to get my a.. up and out into the forest. I also live your introvert look on these funghi etc, because I am also introvert. Thanks for your work here from Hamburg, Germany.

Very important to have a good flash and diffuser with the 5x zoom as the aperture needs to be pushed up and the light that passes through it is quite minimal and really useful with cloud cover issues.

🌺🌻🌺 A fun presentation of the learning experience. Thank you :)

Great video and good effort on the macro! Keep trying!

I was thinking about not seeing any Courtney Victoria videos just yesterday! I've done a fair amount of macro work but never at 5x. My kit is a bellows and a Nikon manual focus 105 mm lens. Been playing with scheimpflug effect to get the depth of field I want. It's so much fun! I look forward to more macro videos. Frankly though I was hoping for some dancing in the woods!

Love your channel Courtney. Im a big fan of Macro Photography. Will be getting a macro lens soon. What would be a good " used " Macro lens to start with. Im on a buget, & shooting a Nikon D800. Thanks xo 😊 btw i live in Canada

Just curious, what is the brand of boots you are wearing? Really enjoyed your video. Regarding stacking software, I prefer Zerene Stacker as the variation in lighting is less of a issue - the program adjusts very well.

Great video Courtney. Like yourself, I'm gone a bit wild on Macro lately. Looking forward to your next one already.

im more of a portrait and landscape photographer, but ive been getting in to macro and am thinking about buying a macro lens. this helped alot. but not to seem creepy or anything, you are really beautiful!

I bought a Cognysis computerized rail. You tell it where to start and end and what interval and it’s automated. Kind of pricey but makes the process easier. They also offer a battery pack for field use. Keep up the great work, love the videos!

This is autistic wonderland. I used to spend whole days catching and observing small things like frogs eggs, ants, snail and many more. I lost that hobby when my mom brought me to the city. I miss doing this. ❤

Such a feelgood video. Love it :) Inspiring!

A treat, as always. I wonder if you could try the electronic shutter (silent shutter) on the 850. There should then be no vibration from the camera mechanism

Great stuff Courtney. First time watching your videos. I got this lens a while ago and it's incredible, but does require a little more patience and learning curve.

Talk to Lower. They know the photographers that do this regularly. You want to get better? Shoot with photographers and talk to photographers who photograph better than you. Don't give up. Always a pleasure watching your videos.

Well, that was absolutely fascinating. Very interesting and enjoyable 😊👍🏻

You mentioned handheld work with a lens like this-the only way is Strobes. Or continuous light-like an aputure MC-I know it’s not as high fidelity of a documentary work of “nature as it is,” but i find the reliability of where the highlights are within the microcontrast can help a great deal in stacking. I love mushrooms as subjects too but i tend to capture them with bugs or slugs and the like onboard-the stack is often 5 or fewer images since there’s a moving critter in the field- I I’m just about the same place as you, though-I have the technical knowledge but getting the technique down in the field and selecting subjects that will cooperate before I’ve got to go home-eludes me.

That's a difficult process. Interesting to see how it's done properly. All the gear and technique requirements.

Great video as always. I have the same Laowa lens as you, not the one you were testing out today, the 100mm lens. I found I made huge improvements when I started using a flash on the camera. I bought a defuser from Cygnustech. He's in Australia and makes them to order so it took a week for me to get it. It's so good though, I love it. There are cheaper ones available, but I haven't tried those. Anyway, just thought I'd mention a flash because it means you can use a much faster shutter speed so movement is less of a worry 😊

I have tried macro with my homemade telescope, light is definitely not a issue for me considering my aperture is 127mm which makes the scope F5.3 You could try running a video instead of individual shots, it's common in planetary photography due to the brightness of the planet and it's resistance to changing conditions is quite nice, you convert the video to individual shots then stack them.

Good video on the journey of macro photography. It's been mentioned but controlling the light (minimizing changes) by using a flash or other lighting can certainly help. For me, after several outings resulting mostly in frustration, I developed a routine and technique in the studio that gave me the confidence and consistency I wanted in the field.

Hi Courtney. Love your videos. I've played around with macro photography with varying success! For me the real game changer was using flash with macro. I think without flash and having to use longer shutter speeds, you open yourself up to movement/vibration in images. Using flash vastly reduces this by freezing the image to the flash duration time. You essentially end up with almost 'normal' duration shutter speeds and controlled lighting at the same time. Hope this helps.

You should have borrowed a light ring from Lowa along with the lens. It's a big help in stacking macro photography. I'm speaking from personal experience 🙂. So I just tried it under domestic conditions on dead insects.

Hi Courtney, I bet you are extremely patient for doing macro photography! I use my macro lens (EF-M 28mm f/3.5 IS STM) mostly to get a flatter plane of focus on bigger items rather than to photograph small items.

Keep going, Court…The original 'saw' wasn't lying to you.

I was wondering what kind of tripod are you using? I love the fact that you can get it very low on the floor.

lovely video courtney, its nice stumbling on a nice relaxing channel to add to the list :)