I like the image; I wish that my first HDR was as good as yours. The blue cast contributes to the apparent lack of contrast. The person on the bridge provides a nice sense of scale to the image. I like the textures in the rocky foreground and water surfaces. Showing more surface texture in the upper bridge structure would provide an improved tone balance.

Thanks for posting your pano/HDR images. I like the first image as it shows the textures and colors of the structure in a very natural way.
Have you considered adding focus stacking to your process?
Jim

I thank that the image is dynamic and foreboding at the same time. The blues at the edges of the image add a nice color contrast. Well done.
Jim

Thanks for your comments. I take your point regarding the errant spike, it could have been placed better. I usually process the stack of images in Camera Raw, Photomatrix, Helicon Focus and finish in CS5. No matter how you do the post processing it is very time consuming.
Jim

Thanks Fotowerks. The backyard is mostly weeds, rocks and rusty iron. Junk to some and subject matter to others.

Canon 5D, 35mm lens @f/5.6, daylight overcast, lens to subject about twelve in.

This is my first attempt at combining HRD and focus stacking. I don't have the original files so I am unable to post the "before" version. I am generally pleased with the result although there are some artifacts resulting from using only fifteen focus steps.

Comments are most welcome.

Jim

Stack&HDR

Well done! I like the bright flashy colors and long strings of color at the horizon. About the only comment I can offer is that the horizon line is centered, it would be more dramatic if it were moved to a slightly lower position in the frame.

I agree that soft images have an important place in photography. While the F/64 School was producing 8x10 contact prints that were incredibly sharp, there was another photographic movement moving in the opposite direction, the Pictoralists felt that softer images more accurately represented human vision. I think that there is room for many viewpoints.

Thanks for posting, very well done solution for remote birding.

Jim

Thanks for the chart. It is nice to
see the information organized into
two groups.

Jim

Unable to see the images with the link that you provided. My browser indicates that it is not a valid URL.

Jim

Please tell me what MFD means. Am I incorrect in thinking that my MP-E 65mm set at 4X is showing an image of a 6mm view rather than a 24mm view?

My error, I was using the finished image and comparing it to the size of the original. In my description I mentioned that the images were taken in portrait format which is 24mm on my camera. In Photoshop I stitched 6 images which formed a composite image about 34”X13” @ 300 dpi. Then I reduced the image size to fit on a 16x20 print, still at 300 dpi.
When I set-up the shot I visualized what a print would look like on the wall. I agree that a diagonal positioning would gain some image size, magnification wasn't my only goal.

Jim

Greetings,
Realizing that this is not an image of an insect or spider (living or dead) I thought that I would submit it anyway for comments and suggestions. If I can find another small fossil with a deeper impression, I’ll try focus stacking for more sharpness. Could be called a panorama of sorts except that the subject moved instead of the camera. This my first submission please let me know if the format and image size are OK.
Thanks,
Jim

Canon 5DMii with Canon MP-E @F/11 Magnification @4X
6 images in portrait format across the fossil with 25% overlap between frames
Merged in Photoshop CS5 to a 3:1 image
Length of original: 1.25 inches from tail to nose
Length of fossil in image: 15.3 inches

12Xfossil

Teach him to see.