Following a discussion on photography and depth of field in another forum, I downloaded a 4-week trial of some computer software called Helicon focus

http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconfocus.html

Simply put, the software takes a number of partially-focused photos and layers them on top of one another to produce a single perfectly focused shot.

Here are my first two attempts. The first photo used 16 layers and a tripod, the second used 8 layers and the camera was perched on the layout. I think a tripod is the way to go.

I had to reduce the size of the final images to get them under 2mb and I dare say I could have edited the photos further using Photoshop or Picasa3






I still have a way to go but am quite pleased with the results so far.

Jon

You have good reason to be pleased Jon! I haven't heard of this program but it certainly seems to yield nice results!
Ralph

Nice, real nice. This looks like a program that will help a lot of us amateurs. I know that I am frequently shooting a lot more shots than I need to and I'm usually disappointed with the final results regardless of what I do. Regular photo editing programs don't help that much, but this one looks promising. Thanks for posting this.

Thanks for the favourable comments and helpful tips, guys. This is definitely the way to go.

I 've uploaded the third photo to Railimages, showing a CSX SD35 passing the West Yard at Sweethome Alabama. I used the Helicon Focus software again but also cropped and edited the photo in Picasa3, as well

The full sized photo is on the SWA facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweethome...2969884638





Hopefully time for another one tonight

Jon

Great looking photos, being a Conrail fan enjoyed the CR GP 10

Bruce

Jon...My hat's off to you....Absolutely top level modeling...AND photgraphy....

Great prototype photos!

Oh right, these are models. Still hard to believe. A testament to your superb modelling skills that I have to look twice to convince myself they are a model.

Looking forward to seeing more.

I've had a bit more practice with the new software and am finding new capabilities and functions all the time. I also decided to try a photo or two at Sweethome Chicago for comparison purposes. The photos were also cropped and edited using Picasa3.








Jon

Jon Grant 4472 Wrote:

This is THE best Model Railroad photo I have EVER seen.

Thanks for that Justin, you're way too kind :oops:

A few more practice shots








I still have some issues with re-sizing, but that will come with practice

Jon

I think your modelling and photography are in line with Ran Hood and George Sellios and other great modellers that can so painstakingly recreate real life scenes in miniature. An inspiration for us all! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Marc, way too kind.

After a couple of false starts and overlit photos, I eventually got another photo uploaded.



Jon

Outstanding Jon---you have raised your excellent photography skills to a higher level

Jon,

the first batch of photos did not convince me, but the two below are in a quality not often reached before - top notch.
I wish there were more ppl that could do both - good modeling AND good photography.

That last one, with the SCL loco, is absolutely AMAZING, right down to the leaf litter along the tracks. Great modeling plus outstanding photography.

--Randy