Your subject needs to extend away from you/the camera somewhat. Step 2. Compose your image by framing your subject. So how do you take focus stacking photos? Let’s go through all the steps below. How to Focus Stack: Photographing the Subject So focus stacking is the only way to create a tack sharp image. But doing so will also create a shallow depth of field. You might need a wider aperture to let in more light. If you go beyond that, your image will start to lose sharpness as well.Īpart from the DOF, you also need to consider the light conditions. If you’re going for ultimate detail, you’re limited to apertures below ~ f/11. Why can’t you simply use a smaller aperture (f/16) to create a deeper depth of field? Well, a smaller aperture would, indeed, place much more of the subject in focus.īut if you’re shooting at a close distance, even the narrowest aperture is not enough to get everything sharp.ĭiffraction might also be of concern. If you’re using a macro lens, the DOF will still be shallow, even if you set your aperture to f/8.

Anything above and below these values, and you may start finding aberrations. But this technique is also popular in product and still-life photography, among others.Ĭhoose the Ideal Aperture for Focus Stackingįor stacking photographs, the ideal aperture is around f/5.6 or f/8 because they have just the right depth of field. This process results in a photo that is sharp from the foreground to the background.įocus stacking is common in macro photography, landscape, and architecture images can benefit from focus stacking.

So what is stacking, exactly? In simplest terms, it’s a technique that combines several images of an object shot at various focus points. In other words, only a section of the object you’re photographing will be sharp.īut what if you want the whole object to look sharp? Then that’s where focus stacking comes in. When you use a wide aperture (such as f/2.8) at a short working distance, the depth of field (DOF) will be extremely shallow.

Canon 750d focus stacking