BAT (bring a tripod) (2023) (Patreon)

One of my friends works for the forest service and was out doin' some field work in a nearby area yesterday, so I joined in to help her and get some photos. This shot was one of the first (and really only) that I got, but wow was it worth it. I brought my tripod again so I could shoot some more work for DPR for this upcoming piece, and as a result, this photo is technically perfect (and I am also incredibly pleased with it, like, it's pretty). 

This shot I was actually able to focus stack for the first time in... God, forever? Basically, you take one photo with the focus set to infinity (as normal), and then you take a second shot focused in basically at the very very bottom of the frame. (Sometimes you need more than two shots, but not at f/13 with a relatively wide shot.)

Then you go into Photoshop later, align the photos, and erase the out-of-focus areas selectively from one shot until you have the sharp bits of both photos in one shot. Voila, you have infinite depth focus on a camera with no movements and only a 35mm equivalent sensor. I haven't bothered doing this in forever but it's kind of fun to get a shot that is technically exactly what I wanted.

It is entirely impossible to do this without a tripod and so yet again, I'm really thrilled I brought it. I may just actually keep it in my car constantly, or perhaps think about splurging on a compact, light travel-oriented one (my current only tripod is a massive, heavy Manfrotto that I love but is not easy to daily-carry). Not sure yet, but I'm going to try and get more shots this good. It feels nice.