macro cicada

[Jill]

Help please, I am trying hard to get this right and need harsh critique.
I am trying to do image stacking and finding it rather frustrating.
The highlights on the cicada - is it too much, should it be diffused?
There are fuzzy bits around the legs, is this common? Can I do something about it?
I realize I should have cleaned him up a bit.
Any other tips or comments.

Thanks in advance.
This was shot in jpg as I am still trying to get it right.
Editing has been a bit of contrast and sharpening

[FrankMi]

Hi Jill. The fuzzy bits around the legs are artifacts. They occur when the focus is on something further back, such as the surface the Cicada is resting on, but the leg, which is closer, in that shot is not in focus and blurs the area just behind it. Depending upon which focus stacking software you are using, there are tools for controlling and/or minimizing artifacts.

You may also be able to minimize them by taking the stacked image and select the image from that set that has the sharpest bits in that area and manually blend the sharp parts back in. I frequently do this when I use Photoshop CS5, provided the number of images in the set is not too large as I don't as yet use Helicon Focus, Zerene Stacker, or one of the other stacking specific applications.

As for the highlights, for me that would be a personal preference based on how you want the final result to look.

[Stagecoach]

Hello Jill,

Firstly, a very good job and I say that because achieving perfection with respect to this subject taking account of lighting and stacking is a pretty big task you set yourself and have done well.

The highlights on the cicada - is it too much, should it be diffused?

Highlights on shiny surfaces with macro are a pain and whilst they can be controlled to a certain degree by lighting direction the problem with the majority of bugs is that their shiny surfaces are curved (roundish bodies).

Diffusion of light will help to a degree and the most common way this appears to be done in macro is to increase the area from which the light is coming from when using flash. You will find many examples of 'home made' adaptors for macro flash. Bounced light can also help.

As for the highlights in this image they do not bother me too much and you could spend time reducing them by cloning an area of colour and brushing lightly over the most prominent offending areas, if you feel it worth the effort.

Out of interest what lighting did you use?

There are fuzzy bits around the legs, is this common? Can I do something about it?
I realize I should have cleaned him up a bit.

Frank has already made suggestions here and others more experienced with dealing with stacking errors as this hopefully can advise.

Grahame

[Jill]

Frank
Thanks for your time to give me feedback. I am using Helicon.

Re the fuzziness around the legs
Yes, I could fix it in Photoshop.

I don't as yet know Helicon enough to know if I could fix it there or if I had done it in raw if it would be such a problem.

Thanks a lot

[Jill]

Grahame
Thanks for the reply.

Lights I was using:
For this shot it was window light, which was the best from a series of experiments with different levels of failure/success.
I did see this differently however once it went online, it did need frount lighting or lightening in post production.

My previous failures/sucesses were flash, with and without umbrella, tourch, builders lights.
Thanks again Jill

[JBW]

I live in the Philippines and we have lots of Cicadas. You have a fine photo. one of the techniques I use is to take the same shot with 2 or 3 different aperture settings and then figure out which one worked the best. If you put in the dark background perhaps you could try something a little lighter? It might allow for more of the translucence of the shell to be seen a little bit more.
B.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured.