AkaSci 🛰️Dec 30

Check out these unbelievably beautiful macro photographs of Slime Moulds by Barry Webb at https://www.barrywebbimages.co.uk/Images/Macro/Slime-Moulds-Myxomycetes

The photograph below of glistening, Comatricha nigra slime moulds won the People's Choice award in the macro category of the British Photography Awards 2025.

Also check out the macro images of fungi at https://www.barrywebbimages.co.uk/Images/Macro/Fungi

Barry's Instagram site: https://www.instagram.com/barrywebbimages/

More about slime moulds at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slime_mold
#Photography
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Show threadAkaSci 🛰️Dec 30

In this article, English photographer Barry Webb explains that due to the size of the subject, "one picture would not do them justice, you can get virtually nothing in focus".

He describes how he uses a technique called focus bracketing, where dozens of photos are taken.

"You take multiple pictures, sometimes over 100 and it takes tiny little slithers of focus, and then you put all those into software, and that creates your final image."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9d9409p76qo
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Show threadMidgePhotoDec 30

@AkaSci
The later Canon 7 series cameras* will do it in camera.
Occasionally useful.

* I use them for runners and triathletes, they are also optimised for wildlife, and are, like most equipment these recent several quinquennia very good cameras.

Show threadJack Linke 🦄
@Photo55 @AkaSci Fujifilm (at least x-series, but maybe others) can do focus bracketing, but assembling the final image requires software tools.
Dec 30 at 5:52pmWeb
Show threadMidgePhotoDec 30

@jack @AkaSci
The R7 saves the intermediate images, as well as making a composite*. One might choose to do one's own composing, or patch the camera composite with a section from one or two individual images.

The first macro stack I made - long ago - used a micrometer slide holding the camera, and I blended layers in the Gimp.

Along the way I learned a little about focus breathing on the one hand and magnification by distance on the other.

Animals are more difficult.

* Internal software

Show threadMidgePhotoDec 30
@jack I think focus bracketing is slightly different, because it is inconvenient to bounce back and forth, and large numbers of brackets are less usual.
The stack thing is a definite progression from the nearest to the furthest, and the R7 offers up to 999 locations which is excessive, 70 is a more commonly used number by one of our club members who catches bugs.
Show threadJack Linke 🦄Dec 31

@Photo55 Fujifilm describes it as focus bracketing, but maybe the terminology varies between manufactures.

On my Fujifilm, I can specify the focus start point, focus end point, number of photos to take (also up to 999), and a few other factors, and when I press the shutter release the camera will automatically take each of the successive photos (adding a delay between each, if desired).

But no on-camera processing is done with the resulting series of photos. You have to off-load and process.

Show threadMidgePhotoDec 31

@jack
Earlier Canons will do - IIRC - the camera's guess at focus, then a bit beyond, then a bit closer or similar, but I don't think they went up to large numbers or combined them. Never used it.

So the facilities sort of leapfrog with makes and models.