Kokoro - Wandering Through a Photographic Life

Backstage Kokoro

A "behind-the-scenes" look at selected images in my Kokoro project —
Content, photographic notes, EXIF data, creative process, miscellaneous commentary, and original digital captures. And now with additional audio comments about selected images!

From Kokoro #056 - The Woodgrain Deep in My Bones

First, this image is flipped left to right. Sometimes such practical decisions are aesthetically arbitrary, but in this case, the image was close enough to another one in the sequence that I wanted to differentiate the two. This one flipped better, so I did so.

More importantly, this image required a two-image composite to make what you see here. I was simply too close to the subject for the depth of field (at f/9) to capture the three-dimensional tree trunk all in focus. I don't use smaller apertures than this because the affects of diffraction will soften the entire image.

So, what you see is the result of blending two image captures, one with the focus on the main, large area on the right, the second capture focused on the white patch in the middle of the dark area in the upper left. The link below shows the first exposure only and you can clearly see the dark patch is out of focus. I find more and more I am using this blended focus technique to solve depth of field limitations. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to do.

Original digital capture (downsized for the web)


1/80 sec at f / 9.0, ISO 320, Panasonic DMC-G2, LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6, 41 mm

New! Additional audio comment about this image

Email me and let me know what you think!