Gecko Project

I decided to use my hammer (macro lens) to take a series of pictures of a reptile (because I can get close) that I would then put together into one large, fantastic, detailed, in-focus, close-up, magnified image. A gecko was in a great pose, so I started shooting. Here's what I got in the end:

Malagasy leaf-tailed gecko (Columbus Zoo)

I learned a few things.

1. I can't just butt rectangular sections of photos against each other. I need pieces from here and pieces from there. (Most seams are a little obvious, but there are two that are pretty much invisible.)
2. I have to have a final image in mind so that I can cover the entire area. Even though no part of the gecko is in the bottom-right corner, I need pictures of that area to form a complete image.
3. I have to have good focus on everything. The bulk of the "tree trunk" is in focus, but not all of it. The depth-of-field is so shallow that I probably needed a picture of the foot in focus and another picture of the same spot but with the trunk behind the foot in focus.
4. I have to control exposure. Every time I pointed the camera at a different spot, the camera's autoexposure calculated something different, yielding, for example, the background in different shades of green.
5. I should use a tripod. That would allow longer exposures with a smaller aperture (greater depth of field) and would provide a platform for systematically pointing the camera around the area.
   

I tried to apply these lessons to my next gecko expedition and have started to make a composite image. The gecko was plastered against the tree trunk, so the pose is boring.

1. Taking irregularly-shaped pieces of one photo and putting them into a composite image is a pain.
2. I took a zillion pictures but still missed some empty space.
3. I still had out-of-focus spots among the zillions of pictures.
4. I used the camera's manual mode to set the exposure, using advice from the camera's light meter, and then left it alone. No sweat.
5. Using a tripod is easy.

I had some success in Toledo with a chameleon using only two pictures. For one thing, the animal was sort of in one plane, which is to say there wasn't a lot of depth. For another, the entire animal was in the frame so all I had to do was focus, take a shot, refocus, and take another shot. With the geckos, I pointed the camera all around.

Jackson's chameleon (Toledo Zoo)

Here are the two photos:

head, torso, back leg

tail, torso, front leg and foot

Why am I doing this? Making a composite image of the chameleon is reasonable, but the gecko job is maybe a bit much. I'm learning to use the lens and to make manual exposures, and it's fun when I'm not frustrated.