How to shoot MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY - Focus Shift Shooting / Focus bracketing - Nikon Z9

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for watching! Join me on a Photography Workshop: www.mattshannon.ca/workshops

[@19Photographer76]

Seems like a great day with the family. When using a CPF on mushroom caps, a word of caution. The cap under reflected light can take on to what appears to be a false color due to the polarized light. If the cap is a rip dark brown it can look strawberry when viewed. A mycologist might suggest that you tone mapped the image.

All images are beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for watching and your fantastic compliments to my photography!

[@Turtlelouie1]

Wish I had this equipment back in the 70"s and 80"s. I went to Victoria Island in 1970 when I was visiting relatives in Seattle, WA. Took a ferry to Victoria and went to the Bouchard (sp?) gardens. It was a beautiful sunny day and the flora was magnificent. I am 77 and still doing photography. It was not my work as I am a physical scientist and aerospace engineer. If I could go back in time I would have selected photography though my work was very satisfying. Your macro work is wonderful. My primary lenses throughout my life have been long macro lenses and telephotos. Keep up the good work. 2 and 5 are my favorite clicks.

[@vytautasrasimavicius3099]

I really liked your cinematic entry to the video. It brings so much life and sparkle to the tutorial. Thanks for the tips. Beautiful flower photography, #2 resonated most to me, beautiful!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Huge thank you, I appreciate the feedback on the cinematic entry and the images laid out at the end. Thank you for the kind words and for watching my video!

[@irisotte83]

Great video again Matt. Really nice to get some insight in the proces of stacking. All worked really well, but think I liked photo number 2 and 5 the most. Thank you for sharing again!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching another one of my videos and sharing your feedback on the images. Greatly appreciated!

[@TubeThings]

The highlighted images look magical! Great focus stacking tips!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks so much! Magical is what I was looking for!

[@onlyvideoillupload]

All the pics are insane but #2 is chef's kiss. thanks for the Macro video, it is really well done!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are too kind thank you very much! I don't get too many chef's kisses, huge thank you, and thanks for watching, cheers!

[@TerryKontopoulos]

ALL!!! But because you ask, the No 2 got me! Thanks for sharing!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Great compliment and feedback! Huge thank you and thanks for watching! Cheers

[@deborahwarren4756]

This was a fun episode to watch! I love your creativity. All of the images were great and i can’t help but love the flower shots, but the one that really stood out to me was the yellow flower with the bee. Awesome work! Thanks for all you do!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Wow, what a great comment to receive, HUGE thank you! Happy to hear that the one that stood out the most was the yellow flower with the bee. With macro, we often think of being really close to the subject when in fact you can be a lot further away and use a telephoto lens. It comes with it's own challenges and benefits but for bees in that field, it was perfect :)

[@markmay8942]

I agree with the others, #2 really captures my attention. My wife is probably tired of hearing me say, "I wish we lived in Canada". What a beautiful country. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

When are you moving? It's probably double the cost of living, and the housing market is out of control so there is a lot of downsides to the positives lol. Just come to Canada for a visit 🙂. Thank you for the feedback on the images. Another vote for #2!

[@mactube72]

No. 2, 3, 6. 5, 4,1. thanks for sharing your tips and techniques.

[@MarshTrekker]

#3 was my choice! The lighting is what did it!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Great feedback thank you!

[@TylerCurnutt]

I like 2 the best with 3 being a very close second place! Great work as always Matt!

[@Happychannel-123]

#4 is my favorite of all.👏🏼

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback! Cheers

[@cdeforest1]

#2 &# 6! Love the moody look!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Awesome, thank you for the feedback. Moody for Spring seems to fit I think.

[@michaelbierbaum-z5x]

Thanks for sharing Matt, great stuff.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are very welcome, thank you!

[@rhinoTube]

Another way to make focus stacks is to use a focusing rail, I used one before I got a camera with focus shift shooting, it is a lot more work, but worth it

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are totally right, thank you for mentioning that. I've never used a focus rail but I have seen them for sale. I'm curious how the perspective changes when physically moving the camera forward and back. Too much change and I get issues when stacking the images together. I'd like to try one some day, thanks again for mentioning that and thanks for watching! Cheers.

[@claudiogavinho]

Excellent video and good tips. I love macro photography. By the way, the intro applied to the video was great. #2 for the lighting. #3 for the composition. #6 was the one I liked the most.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Oooo that is great feedback on my images thank you for the breakdown. Happy to hear you liked the video! Thanks for the feedback on the intro too, I really wanted to start with the cinematic short but so many people need to hear the breakdown of whats to come in the first few seconds of the video so I'm glad to hear it was ok. Thanks for watching!

[@claudiogavinho]

@@MattShannonPhoto I completely understand your point about the intro.

[@MrTmiket0007]

Thanks so much for sharing another wonderful video like always 👍😊

[@MattShannonPhoto]

So nice of you, always a pleasure to hear thank you

[@DuncanGlendinning]

Great video - I'll now go and try focus stacking. I liked image #2 🙂

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you. Have fun shooting, cheers!

[@calvinpixelske]

Beautiful work #2 caught my attention

[@philippedunienville1987]

Absolutely love this video thank you its amazing

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you very much! I appreciate it

[@davidligon6088]

Great video, easy to follow. Thanks! Sony finally supports focus bracketing with the A7RV. Here is a tip for previous Sony models. Sony’s Bluetooth Remote (Wireless Commander RMT-P1BT) has a button that can be set to focus. Manually focus on the near point, then tap the focus button on the Wireless Commander until you’ve reached the far point you want focused. I like the artificially lit flower better than the naturally lit one because I think the shadows show more depth. In the photo matrix, I like #5 because I know how hard it is to get a sharp moving bee, and I like the way the flowers stand out against the bokeh background. That would be followed by #2, again because the flower stands out against the environment.

[@jocelyncantin2493]

Thank you for sharing your excellent video! Do you have a rule of thumb for the number of photos we need for stacking macros?

[@williampetersen2899]

Outstanding video Matt. Because I can't abide invasive species I have to go with #2 and #3 especially, but they're all great! As a non-Lightroom and non-Photoshop user, I use Helicon Focus for stacking software and would highly recommend it to any of your other viewers who aren't LR/PS users.

[@erichsnijder7376]

Number 2 is the favorite :)

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for the feedback, Number 2 is the king so far. Thanks for watching as well!

[@erichsnijder7376]

@@MattShannonPhoto Your very welcome. I've been taking photo's today and started to use some of your explanation. It takes some time to work in photoshop to the pictures i want. I'm going to watch some more of your future lessons / tuts.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Stacking images can take a long time. The one image I stacked that consisted of 150 images took an hour to align, stack and fine tune. Good luck on your images!

[@williamdavidson1490]

Great lessons thanks for sharing. Two places in Canada you will not find Poison Ivy, Vancouver Island & Newfoundland. My favorite pictures were #2 & #6 btw.

[@deanpratley125]

Hey Matt. I am trying to set up my wife’s Canon R7 on her custom 2 setting. With your settings. I will check it and maybe tweak it if I have too. I am wondering if you are having any macro courses in the future coming up. I would like to enroll her in them if so. Thanks

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Hi Dean, I cover macro photography in my autumn workshop if that is something your wife would be interested in. We go over focus stacking, bracketing images, macro lenses, and all the steps in post processing during the workshop and in a Zoom presentation 2 weeks after the workshop with the images we captured in the field. We cover a lot more than macro photography. Here is the link: www.mattshannon.ca/renfrew-oct.html

[@kelvinwhite2901]

Hi Matt. I've only just picked up your channel and have enjoyed it very much. I have only just started trying Macro and bought some macro extension rings as I don't know how it is going to work out and the cost of a macro lens could be a waste for me if it does not go well. Anyway I liked all the photos and the knowledge that went with it but my favourite was number 2. Thanks again until the next video.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Welcome to the channel! Happy to hear you enjoyed this weeks video. I forgot about extension tubes. I've used them in the past and they serve a purpose for sure. Patience is key to macro. If its windy outside where I am taking macro images, forget it! But when the conditions are nice, its a calming process I find. Good luck on your macro adventures!

[@guymatson7731]

#4 is my favorite

[@katherineblake7607]

Wonderful macro images but I think for me #2 jumps out as my favourite.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you for the feedback. #2 is king. Thank you for watching!

[@jaishruti]

lovely enjoyed the tutorial

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@DennisBoucher]

Thanks Matt, #2 and #6 for me..

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are welcome, thank you for the feedback!

[@russelllennon3043]

Very informative. I choose image 2.

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

Almost as if you knew what I was doing this morning 😂 I just got back from a hike with my 24-105 for insect photography

[@MattShannonPhoto]

haha no way! How did you make out?? I haven't taken a crack at insects besides a few bees and butterflies here and there.

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

@@MattShannonPhoto I got a couple photos of a white sulfur on a purple clover and a couple ducks that didn't mind me.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

@@David_Quinn_Photography Awesome, it's handy having that 105mm reach I'm sure

[@David_Quinn_Photography]

@@MattShannonPhoto it's nice but also wish I grabbed the 70-200 instead but then I am entering into the range of my Sigma 150-600

[@thibaudlabesse]

Very beautiful photos! I really liked n° 2 and 3. One question: if I use a manual focus only macro lens, will I be able to do focus shift ? I have a fuji X-f10, and I plan to buy the laowa 65mm 2.8 ultra macro.

[@seanthompson258]

Amazing thank you!!!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers

[@loripratley6525]

Loved your video! Which model of Aperture light do you have. I have looked on Amazon and there are just so many. Thank you 😊

[@marcinokroj1479]

Numbers 2 and 4 are my favourite. :)

[@esb74]

Thanks for the video! Very useful. I will definitely try the polarizing filter. Please tell me if possible: what is the maximum shooting speed in "Focus Shift" mode? (how many frames per second does the Nikon Z9 camera make?)

[@grosema]

I liked #2 and #6

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thank you. 2 so far is the most popular but it is still early. Thanks for the feedback.

[@WhoDareChillYouN]

I like All of them

[@DaveBurbank]

You are correct that the lens focal length, aperture and distance to subject all affect depth of field. Another factor is sensor size. It's easier to achieve a shallow depth of field with a full size sensor camera than with a cropped sensor camera.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

You are so right Dave! Thank you for mentioning that in the comments. I didn't even think about the sensor of the camera. Later I thought about a tilt shift lens and how you can create the miniature look but thats not the same.

[@AndyHayter]

Would like to know what settings you have in your shooting bank for woodland photography?

[@carlmcneill1139]

I have that lens and a z6 II and the z8. I haven't used it with the z8 yet because I haven't shot macro in a while. I don't always like the results I get from photoshop. I tried Luminar Neo and got better results. Maybe I didn't have my settings right in the camera for the distance in the intervals. I did notice there's a lot of focus breathing with this lens. Someone recommended that I use a focusing rail instead of using the focus shift mode in the camera. They said it would eliminate the focus breathing because the focus doesn't change in the camera. You just move the camera closer with each shot with the rail. I don't have a rail yet. But I have been wanting to use my macro lens more. I got into street photography so I've been doing a lot of that lately.

[@RalphJackson-v2p]

#2 is my favourite

[@georgemattei9665]

Hi great video. Do you shoot in raw or jpg to save space when shooting 100+ images for the flowers? Thanks

[@minglam5145]

Photo #2 that I like.

[@dustydewey]

#2,4. Great informative video ! Love the mix of video and music ! Question. Are you shooting JPG or Raw If RAW how do you handle the size of files ? Side note If using flash and stacking say for bugs , do need to set parameters of shift to one sec pause other wise flash will only fire one time Thanks really enjoy following you !

[@AndyHayter]

Which Apature light are you using? It's not in your equipment list.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

They updated the Apature Light to a newer model. Here is the link: geni.us/8bx3n The older model I show in the video isn't available for purchase anywhere that I can see. Hopefully that helps, let me know if you have any issues with the link.

[@thenewmanfiles3269]

Maybe I missed it but where or how do you determine the initial focus point to ensure the focus steps capture everything?

[@lukeiamyourfather7736]

Focus Shift Shooting on Nikon and Focus Bracketing on Canon and Sony. You got to be savvy when shooting macro, you just gots to!

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Yes, on both points 😁

[@jaishruti]

no 2 and 4 were the best

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback, huge help!

[@Trish12303]

It’s a tie between #’s 1, 5 and 6. I couldn’t pick just one. 😆

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Perfect compliment if you ask me. Thank you for sharing your feedback!

[@sleekimagesphotography]

I believe this only works with nikon lenses. Please correct me if I'm wrong

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Hi, are you referring to the Focus Shift Shooting? Sony, Canon and Olympus call it Focus Bracketing I believe which does the same thing. You mentioned Nikon lenses so I need some clarification. 🙂

[@offbeatvandals6072]

4 and 6

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback and thanks for watching!

[@theartworlds_]

❤❤

[@owenpeller6471]

grizzly workshop seems like a nice thing but it's extremely expensive and the actual amount of photography is only four days. It would probably take me two days just to get to the lodge. Maybe in another lifetime but I don't have the time or money for this.

[@MattShannonPhoto]

I completely understand your perspective on the cost and timeline for the Grizzly Workshop. Organizing workshops of this nature involves a multitude of factors, from staffing and logistics to operational expenses and the remote location of the lodge. Balancing these aspects while ensuring a fulfilling experience for participants can indeed be challenging. Having run Grizzly bear workshops for several years, I've found that the current timeline strikes a balance between providing ample photography opportunities and accommodating the typical schedules of our clients. I too wish it was longer, but it's important to consider not only the guests' availability but also the workload of the event staff. Perhaps in the future, if there's sufficient demand, I could explore creating a longer workshop package. It's definitely something to consider as we continue to evolve and adapt our offerings to meet the needs and preferences of our participants. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and I appreciate your understanding of the complexities involved in marketing and organizing such events.

[@MrDan1943]

2,5,and 1 in that order

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Great feedback thank you. It is still early to see which one ranks above all the rest :)

[@EliasGimenes]

2 and 5

[@jfsft]

If they don't sponsor you, why give the brand name, but still, explain the/all features of the tool?

[@7thrx]

Children giggling in the woods randomly is always unsettling

[@19Photographer76]

My wife calls those yellow flowers 'weeds' but she's from Florida.

[@tonyb2760]

2

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Number 2 seems to be king, thanks for the feedback and for watching.

[@mjwagner4]

Can you send the link to the Aputure LED light? Is it the MC RGBWW selling for about US$90?

[@mjwagner4]

Can you send the link to the Aputure LED light? Is it the MC RGBWW selling for about US$90? Does it require a separate mount to attach to the Z8?

[@ethyleneethylene5]

Subscribe…im inspired your macro art photography.❤❤❤

[@gregkrawczyk8827]

3\

[@MattShannonPhoto]

Thanks for the feedback! Cheers

[@camelliama6490]

No.2 isn’t favorite!

[@camelliama6490]

Sorry, No.2 is( not isn’t) my favorite. 😂

[@MattShannonPhoto]

😄, got it, thank you! Cheers

[@Red271]

2