Regarding the focus stacking, I wanted to emulate the images of Petar Sabol, a Sony ambassador that takes images up to 5x using an expensive device that takes the effort out of focus stacking. It’s a highly configurable focusing rail that moves the lens in tiny increments.

To see how I got on I bought a cheap alternative from Amazon ($30). My initial attempts seem to have worked, though it has many limitations such as needing a shutter release due to introducing instability, and lens creep if the subject is up or down. Unfortuantely recent ill health has prevented further experimentation but it seems a fun area to play in.