When i started on this i first researched it on the internet and looked in books to try and learn what it was, i couldn't find it anywhere.
Andy explained in one of our studio sessions what drop focus was, it is a narrow band of focus on the subject/object when taking a macro/close up photograph.
The band of focus should be on the most appropriate part, in order to pick out necessary detail in the image.
When using the Macro tubes it takes away any control over the aperture and instead sets it to the widest aperture- lowest f number automatically.
I went into the studio with several flowers i had bought and set up the continuous fluorescent lights on either side of the product table, they were placed as close as possible to the flowers to give maximum light, looking back, they weren't the best choice of light. The main reason for this is that i already had limitations as i couldnt change the aperture due to the use of the Macro Rings and the Continuous lights do not have the option for changing the power so the only control i had over the exposure was the shutter speed and the ISO, which meant i was quite limited. On the plus side, the lights are useful for product photography as ythey don't generate as much heat as the other flash heads so wont melt chocolate or wilt flowers!
1/60, ISO 1000, handheld, un-edited.
The fluorescent light has really brought out the purple tone in this image.
1/80, ISO 1000, handheld, un-edited.
1/100 Sec, ISO 1000, handheld, un-edited.
1/100 Sec, ISO 1000, handheld, un-edited.
1/100 Sec, ISO 1000, handheld, un-edited.
Here you can see there is a band of focus going across the image diagonally this appropriately allows the darker purple tone to be in focus and the rest of the image is out of focus. This was done using all of the extension tubes at the same time so the flower was literally 2cm from the lens of my camera, this has given it quite an abstract effect as it is so close up unless in context with the other images you may wonder what it was.
1/100 Sec, ISO 500, handheld, un-edited.
1/100 Sec, ISO 500, handheld, un-edited.
Although this doesn't show a 'band' of focus it shows a very small part of the image in focus, the important part is in focus and everything around it has just disappeared into a colourful blur.
I like this image but think it could be a lot better with editing, which is the area in which i struggle the most!
This one has been edited in Photoshop. When i started the course i had never used Photoshop or Lightroom and although i now know how to work Lightroom with my eyes closed, i am still working out the basics in Photoshop. I have bought quite a few books and magazines and watched online tutorials on order to learn some new Photoshop skills. I like the Photoshop magazines as they show examples of what can be done along with step by step instructions of how to do it. I used one of them to create a sketch effect on a portrait and then i got thinking about how i could use this so tried out a few different effects and played around with the layers until i got an image i was happy with.
I am really happy with the final image, i think the editing has given it a painterly feel.
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