PART 6
INCREASE DEPTH WITH A FOCUS STACK
Depth of field becomes more limited when shooting closer to your subject, so boost sharpness with this top creative technique
The closer to your subject you focus, the more limited your depth of field will be. The opposite is true of landscapes, where the focus distance is usually set far into the scene so landscapes usually have a deep depth of field. While closing the aperture down usually helps boost depth of field, this isn’t always the best option. The ‘sweet’ spot of a lens is usually around f/5.6-8, so pushing the aperture too much higher than this can lead to image-softening diffraction. Here, focus stacking is usually your best bet. This is where you take a series of photos focused on different areas around the frame and then merge the sharpest pieces from each picture together for a single, totally sharp shot.