This article shares a selection of handheld focus stacked macro images captured during a recent visit to the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington Ontario. I didn’t spend very much time capturing images for my personal use as my main goal was to identify macro opportunities for my RBG guest.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. To view this article in a range of other languages click on the Canadian flag in the upper right corner.

When providing perspectives and potential instruction to another photographer it is important to look for image opportunities that provide a range of challenges. For example, the dried blossom in the above image was partially buried in a shrub.

The backside of a blossom can sometimes create an interesting and different macro perspective… which can sometimes be overlooked.

Or, finding an area of tree bark that provides some details and lighting that highlights texture, can have some visual appeal.

One of the things that I love about macro photography is how even a single leaf can be an interesting subject if both colour and contrast are present. Pointing out these opportunities can help others see the world around them a bit differently.

Sometimes it is the combination of tiny details and a specific shooting angle that can lead to an interesting image capture.

Repeating patterns and fine details can also be compelling image opportunities.

As regular readers know, I love to find image opportunities that can yield an ‘emerging from darkness‘ perspective. Sharing these opportunities with others can help expand photographic potential.

Experimenting with different technologies and shutter speeds can also expand macro photography potential.

Sometimes a single blossom that is a small part of a larger array presents the best macro image opportunity. Light and shooting angle are always key composition considerations.

A tiny detail, like the three pronged tip emerging from the end of the plant stock above, tells a story about life always wanting to continue.

The delicate cascade of a group of blossoms can be visually arresting, especially when brought into visual focus by some high contrast lighting.

Although our visit was brief, it was deemed a success by my RBG guest. At the end of the day, that’s all that really mattered to me.

Technical Note

Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from out-of-camera jpeg files using my standard process in post. Handheld In-Camera Focus Stacking was used for all of the images in this article. A stack of 12 images with a focus differential of 4 was used for all images. This is the 1,488 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.

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