redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

In the following images of 3 Lady slippers,i was having a problem with getting all three slipper blooms in focus. Of course all related to dof and the placement of the focal pt. Using manual mode here,76mm fl,100 iso etc. And all the way from f6.3 to f9. you will note the exif data. Inorder to get all the blooms or flowers in focus at what fstop should i be or a range and if using my 9 focal pt system, where should i be focusing on(using t4i). The middle bloom ?
Thanks for your help!

Lady Slipper #1


Lady slipper #3


lady slipper

Bmac Loc: Long Island, NY

This should help with your questions.
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

To piggy back on what BMAC said...take a look at these numbers.

Let's pretend the distance between the closet bloom and the farthest bloom is 3".

You used a 76mm focal length and you used f/stops between f/6.3 to f/9.

The other part of this equation is "distance from camera to subject" and it looks like you were pretty close. I'm going to just guess at 2 feet.

So...here is what you can expect at your distance, focal length and f/stops

f/6.3:

Depth of field = 0.54 in (1/2" )

How about f/9? How much does that change it?


f/9:
Depth of field = 0.76 in (3/4" )


Not that much huh?


There is a thought that gets passed around that depth of field is mainly about f/stops but really, distance has a LOT to do with it.


Let's take a look at what happens with the same f/9 at various distances: (you remember, I assumed 24" as the start)


36"

Depth of field = 1.78 in



48"

Depth of field = 3.25 in


60"
Depth of field = 5.14 in


So...you can see that at f/9 somewhere between 48" and 60" you'd have the required depth of field to get what you need.


It's hard to keep all this in mind, and for myself, I usually just estimate and do my best...I know I should take more time getting this part of it worked out beforehand.


So...work out your distance, and f/stop and give the flowers another shot!

PS: Yes...focus on the middle bloom.

mborn Loc: Massachusetts

Take a series of photos (use a tripod) focus on the front flower then take a series of photos by manually focusing in toward the back flower then focus stack them
here is a link http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/focus-stacking.htm

two image stack in PS

lovitlots Loc: Tottenham, Ontario, Canada

First off the three pictures are different. Two are the same and the third is from a closer position. Your DOF specs will change right there. If you want a certain DOF for a particular seen, bracket the DOF and your focus points. You're shooting digital! Film here is basically free. Choose the one you want and delete the rest. By shooting a number of shots of the same scene and changing the f stops and focus points, you'll eventually get a feel for how your equipment works and the number of shots you have to take will be reduced. You'll also be able to use your screens on your camera to better judge what you've done before you get back home. By the time you've taken the time to do the calculations you could have taken ten shots.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

You could use a wider focal length and move in closer, if you want to stick to that focal length, but just can't get the DOF you would like, do some fous stacking.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

Also, check out camerasim.com it too is a great simulation and will help solve your problem.

I think you would have to go from an f6.3 to an f11 to see much difference in focus because of your distance from the subject as was mentioned above.

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

what photo stacking software are you using or is pse10 photomerge function adequate?

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

rpavich you gave a very very good explanation on how to understand DOF well done!

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

Its been raining here for several days in southeastern mass.,so i don"t know if the lady slippers will survive. If they do, i will follow all suggestions and fire away. Thanks for all your help!!

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Great answer to the question rpavich. . Answer in a nut shell. The closer you are the shallower the DoF. Only thing I would add is position of the focus point. Maybe as close behind the first flower as possible, your depth is always deeper behind the focus point, just a little tweak from what you posted.
The OP could also experiment with smaller apertures if they want to stay closer F/11 and so on. . A Great way to learn your camera, and to become a better photographer. No need for focus stacking here if you learn how to use the camera.

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Are these cropped? I use the same camera and a 15-85 zoom lens to shot orchids. I would back up from the subject and use a longer focal length and set the camera at AV f11 200 ISO let the camera choose the shutter speed. You could go to ISO 400 with out significant loss of quality. This is where the image stabilizer comes in to use OR a mono or tripod. At Orchid shows I was using a monopod but found I could get good results with out one. I always focus on the closest subject. If you are not using BBF (Back Button Focus) you should consider it especially for this type of shot. You can see some of my orchid shots here: http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-120418-1.html

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

yes, i cropped a few of the images.since then i have taken some more shots at increased focal length at about f11 iso 200 or so and corrected the dof problem. What i could have done is to focus stack a few images starting at the foreground,first lady slipper and on back to get the final dof that i desired. Isn"t it difficult to hold your camera steady for 3 shots while on handheld nighttime mode on the t4i? Thanks for your tips!

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

I have have used the night shot program for flowers...it works very well.

redfordl Loc: Carver,Ma.

dRixpix how did you set up BBF on your t4i or maybe you can give me a link on utube etc. on how to set it up. And how to use it? I tried it once for some photos,but disabled it and went back to the standard focus on the shutter button. Thanks for your help!! And those orchid photos were outstanding!!