Check this AMAZING macro out and TELL ME how he does it!

[ramtin k]

Hey guys.... so some of you may know Javier Torrent...

check this picture out.... http://500px.com/photo/7081502


ISN'T THAT MIND BLOWIN? so he says that he is stacking 76 shots...

HOW DOES HE GET THE WASP TO STAY STILL? well obviously she's dead!
but how does he do it? any thoughts? i think it is one of the best macro shots i've ever seen BUT if the wasp has to be sacrificed for it, i don't know if i wanna try! call me an idiot i just can't!

let me know what you think about this!

[CyberManiaK]

Yeah is a great shot... To stay still, maybe frozen ?? I have read that some guys put the bugs on the freezer.. But the front legs on that shot appears that are grabbing something, that could be photoshoped. IMO if he can focus stack with that level, I guess removing objects on photoshop is something very easy for him.

[calypsob]

To get a 76 stack shot you need a focus rail capable of extremely precise movement increments, 1mm per shot, or a macro bellows will do the same thing. Also you need a rock solid tripod a remote to trigger the shutter and you need to use mirror lockup most likely. Also you need a good focus stacking program and a very good understanding of that program because I guarantee you will wind up with some nasty artifacts with a 76 shot focus stack, and if you shoot RAW that focus stack will take a really long time to process and you computer will probably beg for mercy when you try and edit the image after it has stacked unless you have a new booyah-kasha computer.

[CyberManiaK]

I was researching on Magic Lantern and I see that has a focus stacking option.. http://vimeo.com/34582618 I guess that will make things easy for we Canon shooters !! I can't give it a try because my macro gear is not AF.. But maybe here has tried that...

[racketman]

I prefer stacks taken in the field of live subjects, check out John Hallmen's flickr gallery, eg:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnhal...in/photostream

59 shot stack, natural light

[adam 91]

I just can't understand how anyone achieves so many shots of insects without them moving, some amazing shots in that gallery

[ramtin k]

i think they're killed in a killing jar... possibly with ethyl assetate or how ever you spell it lol... brutal if u ask me... but whatever!... "BOOYA KAAHSA computer" lmao .... yeah how the hell he is stacking that many images i don't know but it sure is aFANTASTIC image!

[calypsob]

Nope they are alive. It is possible if you do a burst while slowly moving forwards through the field of view, but unless you have a fast CF ccard in something like a 7d and have a fast flash like a 580ex, well you could use natural light, it would be very difficult. The most I can do is 3 or 4 shots in multi mode on my T3i, but then again thats usually all I need to make a stack with my lens. Also it is good to note that the flikr user is using an fstop of f/6 in some of his shots so the DOF is alot thinner, but faster than normal.

[JoeyBaccala]

Good info here starting to get into Macro work.

[recrisp]

I have to say, that is the best macro, stacking or not, that I have seen to date!

Here's a video that shows how they might go about shooting it by stacking it without moving the subject.

Randy

[eriet30]

He says on one of his other shots...

Hello Vincent; as I said most of my studio shots are with prepared specimens but I want to do stacks in the field too.
Field stacks can be done up to 10X (have not seen any yet) but normally in the field you have to use smaller apertures ( to do it with less shots) Smaller apertures means loss of detail because of diffraction
In the field you have to go early in the morning when they are inactive, otherwise getting series of 30-50 becomes very difficult
Regards