We have tons more cicadas this year than we ever have before. I have been wanting to get a photo of one, but haven't really wanted to climb a tree to do so. This morning, one very nicely, although clumsily, fell into the pool so Amanda could rescue it and I could take a photo. I was right in the middle of a series of photos, so I could do what is called a focus stack, where one focuses on each tiny section of the object, then stacks them all together in layers so all of the focused parts line up and it looks wonderful. Unfortunately, Martios decided to run right through the middle of the "studio," so my subject flew away.
I love those two perfectly aligned front legs. It is a shot worthy of study as I have never seen a cicada close up before. I'm interested in your focus stack. How do you get the layers to merge so that you reveal all the right parts in focus? Is this a labour of love, or do you have a neat way of doing it automatically?
