stack photos that others make. Most of all, rack-focusing is more
suited to the studio and not the woods and fields. I need to be out
there in nature and without too much gear. Keep in mind that IMO
the process and experience of photographing nature is as important
or more important that the resulting photos.
The art in focus stacking is learning how to give your impression of
a subject in a few carefully-chosen frames, merging them into a
single unified photo that expresses that impression. That is why
focus stacking is an art and not a science.
Focus Stacking Problems
The Bad Frame
Did you include a frame that does not belong in the series by
mistake? I am surprised at how often I manage to do this and, of
course, a frame from a different series will seriously screw up a
stack and make it appear unusable.
Too Many Frames
Just because you took ten frames of the subject does not mean you
need all ten or that all ten will resolve well, especially when the
result shows problems. Try dropping layers, usually from the back
where they matter least and can serve as bokeh (nicely out of
focus). Shorten the stack and run it again. Often the result can be
different enough to save the shot.
Minimal Frames
Forget about the whole sequence. Go into the layers and find just
the layers that best put the subject into focus. Use those, often just
two or three. You end up with a more normal photograph, but one
with the essential subject remarkably in focus. This is still better
than just the one area in focus of a traditional one-shot DOF photo.
Run It Again
Sometimes if I just run the whole stack again I will get a good
result. I have no idea why this is so but it is worth a try if you love
the subject.
Don’t Forget the Traditional Photo
And as a last result, use a single frame. Forget about stacking. One
virtue of taking bracketed focus shots is that, more often than not at