About the author

Miroslav Fiala
Macro photography is my hobby and passion. I'm mainly interested in Darwin wasps, slime mouds and mushrooms, but also other invertebrates and nature in general. And the smaller, the better and more interesting. Macro photography gives me a glimpse into the wonderful world around us, which is difficult to capture with the naked eye. It is full of strange shapes, colors and life forms.
Current photo technology:
Canon EOS R + Laowa 25mm, f/2.8, 2.5-5x Ultra Macro and Laowa 58mm, f/2.8, 2x Ultra Macro
Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ300 + RAYNOX DCR 150, DCR 250 and MSN 202
Photo equipment that has reached the end of its life: Canon EOS 450D + Canon EF 100 mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM

Photos are mostly created using the method of manual focus bracketing and subsequent focus stacking. What is it about? Since the photographed objects are very small, optics with high magnification are needed, and depth of field is very shallow at high magnification. In order for the object in the photo to be completely sharp, when photographing it, it is necessary to move a narrow focus plane along it and take individual photos (focus bracketing). These photos are then assembled on the computer into one resulting photo (focus stacking). Photos of slime molds are mostly composed of 80 to 150 photos. Yes, it is a bit laborious, but there is no other way. Most of the photos of slime molds are taken in a home environment on collected individuals. In the field, photography would be quite difficult and the lenses would not be evenly lit. Stationary lights with a light color temperature of 5600K with home-made diffusers are used for illumination. Mushroom photos are also usually composed of several photos, and their number depends on the size of the photographed mushroom. Most photos of Darwin wasps and invertebrates are also composites of multiple photos so that the whole individual is in focus.
Contact
Miroslav Fiala, Přerov, Czech Republic
You can write to me about what interests you, what you like or dislike, if you have any questions or if you can help me identify the objects being photographed.
diges@seznam.cz
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