Focus Stacked Image of a Dandelion Blossom
May 24, 2022 20:31:38 #
I went out to check the mail this afternoon and I picked a dandelion blossom on the way back in and staged it for a focus-stacking session.
A bit of trivia about the dandelion is that an average of 15,000 seeds is produced per dandelion plant for they bloom more than once. There are usually 150-200 seeds per flower and up to 10 flowers per plant. For those that hate seeing them in their yard, this is why it may seem like a losing battle.
I staged this session with a little Fujifilm X-T20 mirrorless camera connected to a bellows with a 50mm f/2.8 enlarger lens set at f/5.6. Each shot in the stack was taken at a distance of 50-micron and when the session was complete, it was processed in Zerene Stacker. Two IKEA LED desk lamps diffused through vellum tracing paper provided the illumination for the session. A piece of pastel multiple-colored backlight scrapbook paper was placed behind the dandelion to create the background colors.
A bit of trivia about the dandelion is that an average of 15,000 seeds is produced per dandelion plant for they bloom more than once. There are usually 150-200 seeds per flower and up to 10 flowers per plant. For those that hate seeing them in their yard, this is why it may seem like a losing battle.
I staged this session with a little Fujifilm X-T20 mirrorless camera connected to a bellows with a 50mm f/2.8 enlarger lens set at f/5.6. Each shot in the stack was taken at a distance of 50-micron and when the session was complete, it was processed in Zerene Stacker. Two IKEA LED desk lamps diffused through vellum tracing paper provided the illumination for the session. A piece of pastel multiple-colored backlight scrapbook paper was placed behind the dandelion to create the background colors.
May 24, 2022 20:46:51 #
May 24, 2022 20:53:21 #
May 24, 2022 21:00:24 #
May 24, 2022 21:01:36 #
Longshadow wrote:
Cool! I never got that close to one.
Thanks, Longshadow. They are everywhere here so they make a convenient subject for the camera.
May 24, 2022 21:01:55 #
May 24, 2022 21:04:34 #
sippyjug104 wrote:
Thanks, Longshadow. They are everywhere here so they make a convenient subject for the camera.
Here also.
I don't get rid of them - Spring food for the critters, and they only last a few weeks.
May 24, 2022 21:08:08 #
UTMike wrote:
Gorgeous, Gary!
Thanks, UTMike. I find photographing dandelions to be challenging for the yellows are so bright that they can easily blow out detail. Also because the yellow petals of the blossom are packed so close together, it is difficult to get tonal separation between them.
May 24, 2022 21:20:26 #
May 24, 2022 22:50:39 #
May 24, 2022 23:03:43 #
kpmac wrote:
Really nice, sippy.
Thanks, Kpmac. I enjoy magnified views of insects for their amazing features and diversity. I love wildflowers for their beauty and the sense of peace that they bring me.
May 25, 2022 07:07:25 #
May 25, 2022 07:34:27 #
tcthome
Loc: NJ
Beautiful work. Where the heck do you get a lens adapter for the fuji to enlarger lens? Just curious.
May 25, 2022 07:43:41 #
May 25, 2022 10:52:33 #
tcthome wrote:
Beautiful work. Where the heck do you get a lens adapter for the fuji to enlarger lens? Just curious.
Thanks, Tcthome. I use a K&F Concept Lens Fujifilm X Mount to Nikon F Mount Adapter ($21.00) that allows me to mount Nikon gear to the camera. The vintage (meaning old) Novoflex bellows ($45.00) that I use is a Nikon mount. I then use a Nikon F to M42 female thread adapter ($5.00) which allows me to use a wide variety of optics for M42 thread is the most common size to adapt to, such as the enlarger lenses ($40.00) and microscope objectives ($30.00) that I use for my sessions.
The 50mm enlarger lens extended on the bellows produces approximately 1.5X to 3X magnification. The 28mm enlarger lens produces approximately 2.5X to 6X magnification. My most often used microscope objectives are a 5X and a 10X Plan Finite objectives.
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