That is an amazing shot. And knowing how to create the bubble to get it: mission accomplished.

That first shot astonishes me. The wing lifted.

Pretty cool. Must have been exciting to be there.

That last one captures movement in the clouds that complements the sense of stability in the brown below. I like that.

Shot wood on the bank of the lake from a boat. Nikon D850, 70-200mm f/4 Nikkor, shot at 1/200th, f/13, ISO 2000, wide open at 200mm. Still working on being more conscious of settings afield. Even so, I haven't applied noise reduction, though I hope to return to this spot and shoot it during the fall again at better settings.

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Thanks everyone. And tcthome, I watched the videos. I see how AP can deal with a RAW image for HDR, but by all I've gathered, it uploads jpgs for Focus Merge. Presumably RAW files processed, exported as jpgs, and then uploaded for the merge.

I tested the calibration of all my Nikon lenses, my Tokina, and my Sigma, finding that all of the lenses but the Sigma were spot on. I bought the port that connects to my laptop for the Sigma and then spent a couple of hours working at getting the calibration right. I'm pleased with the result. But I will have to test the lens on occasion and probably have to do more calibration.

My son and I came upon some difficulty trying to load a series of five Develop-Mode-synchronized RAW files from Lightroom into Affinity Photo for the merge. (These images were done in D850 Focus Shift.) So we exported them as jpg onto my hard drive, and then uploaded them into Affinity Photo for the merge. The resulting single jpg, exported back to my hard drive, looks good. But does anyone know if there is a way to transfer a series of RAW files directly from LR into Affinity and merge them? Does anyone know if it would make a difference, if I can focus merge RAW files instead of jpg?

Tufted titmouse. Haven't seen one in a while, and have never have got a shot like that. Nice.

Tufted titmouse. Haven't seen one is a while, and have never got a shot like that. Nice.

I try to create images that evoke emotional resonance. It would seem I'm referring to music, not photography, but what I mean is a fullness of feeling. Otherwise, I might be after interest in various linear configurations in the frame, or the emphasis of a subject in the background, or what have you, but it's especially low-light photos, often with a color tone theme, like green or gold, that draw me immediately into the frame as a whole: awe.

I got it about the download now.

This is the second focus merge I did in Affinity Photo, and as you might see, the foreground seems in better focus than the previous image....let me go ahead and see if I can include it with a download. Sorry about the confusion.

My concern remains the same. About getting foreground edge and close to it in focus. Again, I used focus shift on my Nikon D850, and put a single focus point as low as it would go. The shot with the tower had it low on that big boulder, if I remember correctly. Four more shots fired after the initial foreground focused shot.

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For me, that's the tough thing. I go afield and forget stuff.

That's what I was going to say, the fifth one looks like a painting.

Those are great, vivid photos. They capture a piece of history.