Why this method

I wanted to share the method I've developed for shooting my focus bracketing series handheld, or even on a tripod.

I was already using this approach back when I shot with my Canon EOS 7D Mark II — it was laborious — and it became much simpler after switching to the Canon EOS R5. The goal: being able to do focus stacking without needing a tripod, a micrometric focusing rail, or a camera's built-in focus bracketing function. In short, low-cost focus bracketing.

The principle: there and back

The method consists of shooting a series of photos manually, "there and back," shifting the focus as slightly as possible between each shot.

You start from point A, which will be the starting point of the future stack, and go to point B, its end point. You then shoot the same sequence again from point B back to point A. The goal is to compensate for any movement (of the subject or the photographer) and to end up with a complete series for post-processing, even if some of the frames turn out unusable.

Aspic viper (Vipera aspis) — point A, initial focus on the snout
Point A — initial focus on the snout.
Aspic viper (Vipera aspis) — point B, final focus on the back of the head
Point B — final focus on the back of the head.
Aspic viper (Vipera aspis) — result after stacking the frames
Result — the whole head sharp after stacking. 52 frames stacked here.

To shift focus, there are two approaches: turning the focus ring, or rocking slightly back and forth with the camera. Turning the ring stays more precise and easier to control, but it has a drawback in macro: it also slightly changes the magnification (the framing) from one shot to the next, a phenomenon known as "focus breathing." Moving your body avoids this problem since the lens's focus distance doesn't change, but it's also less precise and takes more practice to keep a consistent amount of movement between shots. It's up to you to find the balance that works for you.

How many shots to take

The number of shots depends entirely on the area you want in focus once the frames are stacked.

For a subject on a plane parallel to yours, about ten shots is usually enough. For a subject photographed at an angle — a scorpion, for example — you're looking at 50 to 100 shots to get it entirely sharp.

Scarce swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) perched on a flower, wings spread
Scarce swallowtail — subject roughly on a parallel plane, 5 frames stacked.
European scorpion (Buthus occitanus), courtship dance, seen at an angle
European scorpion — subject shot at an angle, 60 frames stacked.

The limits of the method

This isn't a perfect method: it doesn't guarantee a clean result 100% of the time, and it usually means some manual cleanup during stacking software assembly — even the automatic blending functions built into stacking software remain error-prone themselves.

The goal is to maximize your chances of a good result, by compensating for certain factors and flaws inherent to the shot:

  • The photographer's own movements
  • Wind

It takes time and real concentration: you need to stay sharp to work around the two main problems you'll run into in the field:

  • A subject that won't hold still
  • A subject that's breathing (thorax movement, for example)

You also need to plan for the culling: with the there-and-back method, a good chunk of the series — often half — will get discarded during post-processing. That's normal, not a sign you did something wrong.

Settings to lock in before you start

Everything needs to be fixed, fully manual:

  • Manual mode (M), ISO included: settings shouldn't vary between shots, so manual mode with manual ISO too.
  • Flash in manual mode (M), respecting the recycle time between each shot: flash power needs to stay identical from one shot to the next, and at higher power the flash needs time to fully recharge — skip that and some frames in the series come out underexposed. With a diffuser, TTL mode doesn't make sense anyway.
  • Manual white balance: again, to avoid any shift between shots — it's up to you to know the value that suits you.
  • Manual focus or back-button focus: the shutter button must not be tied to focus, or you risk shifting focus between shots.

The exposure triangle

Settings need to be adapted to the scene, but a few reference points hold up consistently:

  • Shutter speed: set to your camera's maximum flash sync speed (1/200s or 1/250s depending on the model).
  • ISO: not at rock bottom, but a value between 200 and 320, which stays clean without generating too much noise.
  • Aperture: the goal here is to maximize sharpness — so neither the widest aperture (rarely the sharpest) nor one that's stopped down too far (which loses sharpness to diffraction). You also need to weigh in how soft you want the bokeh. Depending on the lens, you'll generally land somewhere between f/4 and f/8.

All that's left is to find — and test — the right flash power before firing off the series.

In summary

Manual bracketing is a demanding but accessible method: no tripod, no micrometric rail, no dedicated bracketing function — just a fully manual, there-and-back shooting approach, and real concentration. It doesn't replace an automated system for precision, but it lets you start focus stacking in the field with the gear you already have.

I'll cover my post-processing and stacking method for assembling these series in a future article.