Jeff, a very experienced photographer who comes from Crowthorne, is a regular visitor as a judge, but this was his first visit as a speaker.
Jeff specialises in extreme closeup work, especially flowers, insects etc., and is a keen exponent of the technique known as focus stacking, where multiple images are taken using a tripod, then with special software, stacking all the images as layers. The software can then identify the sharp areas in each layer to be combined in the final image, which is bitingly sharp all over. He brought a selection of his prints for club members to admire, and in his talk explained the technical differences between closeup, macro and micro photography, and how to join lenses together as one technique to achieve the desired results. He also showed how to link camera equipment to a smartphone as a form of remote control. We saw a huge selection of his own equipment, 3 case loads to be precise, and members were totally engaged with the presentation, with lots of questions, and notes being taken.
The evening was completed with a YouTube video of a project in Oxford on insect photography in which thousands of images were taken using specialised microscope equipment then combined, to result in huge prints, around 2m x 3m, which showed almost every cell of the creatures with staggering sharpness.
A very well received and different evening which should help all members try something different.
Report submitted by Dorothy Wood
