aka Galerina marginata or sometimes called Galerina autumalis, but whatever you call them, they’re deadly poisonous and loaded with phallo and amatoxins (like Amanita species are). Cute little things though. Stacks of about 10 shots both the group and the one standing cutely and deadly on its own. I haven’t seen them this brightly orange in a while, but that telltale cottony growth at the base is a bit of a give away if you’re tempted to confuse this with orange mycena. Also, these have little skirts that are the remnants of the partial veil that covers the gills when they first emerge.
Specific Feedback Requested
I know a lot of folks will be annoyed with my choice to leave the sporophytes in, but I can’t help myself because I love them. Is the light too harsh? I was being eaten alive by bugs and didn’t have the presence of mind to get my diffuser.
Technical Details
Tripod & CPL
10 or so image stacks using 0/+ bracketing method in the field
Lr to lower exposure and highlights a bit, bump shadows and whites. Also adjusted wb and Calibration panel to get the colors right. Some texture, clarity & sharpening.
Zerene for a DMap base image with PMax details where needed
Photoshop to remove some distractions in the foreground and background. Also TK8 panel for some work with masks to further improve the overall image.
Kristen, I’m so glad you chose to include the behind the scenes photo because a) it’s really interesting to me since I don’t shoot typically these types of images (I want to though!) and b) it really shows how tiny these mushrooms are!
Both of these images are very pretty and I love the detail in both the mushrooms and the moss. The light to me doesn’t look too bright and I have no issue with it.
A couple things that jump out at me are:
in image 1 - there is a bright spot on the very right edge of the frame, in the middle, that I would consider darkening or cloning out. Also there are some out of focus lines under the mushroom cap, to the left of the stem that I would also consider cloning out because they kind of pull my attention away from the mushroom.
in the second image, there is a bright semicircle on the top edge of the frame that I feel would also benefit from darkening or cloning out.
How can such cute little things be poisonous? I’m guessing some animals (maybe even slimy little things) can eat things that are poisonous to us. But I guess some things don’t have to justify their existence by being in the food chain.
Although I tend to simplify images as much as I can, the sporophytes work for me – both for an authentic setting and to provide scale. The light doesn’t look harsh at all. You did very well to get the look of a diffuser.
I found some LBMs this morning but in an ugly setting. Maybe I’ll go down and see if I can do anything more worthwhile than getting muddy jeans.
Kris, the first one to me is the most dramatic. Right down there level with the shroom. Too cool. And great use of selective focus stacking. I love the OOF background.
The second image is great too, but that first one really sings to me.
Thanks @Tom_Nevesely - I did some tinkering with the ideas you had and like one of them, but the other is just hm…not sure my skills are up to the task.
Thanks @Diane_Miller - mushroom photography is always worth a little mud! But yeah, many are pretty poisonous and so looking only!
Thanks @Han_Schutten - glad you like them and don’t be shy if there’s something weird with composition or processing. I do a lot of these and I sometimes can’t see them anymore if you know what I mean.
Thanks @David_Bostock - the trio was just next door to the single and I almost didn’t shoot it because of the bugs, but it was too cute.
Makes me yearn for Spring. Both photos are well composed. Of the two I like “Sisters Three” (sorry, but they reminded me of the Three Sisters in Monument Valley) better. No reason. Just because.
I’m still working to learn the nuances of macro and I have a question about Sisters Three. There is a shadow on the stem, probably projected from the cap. I try to eliminate shadows when shooting LBMs. Am I creating extra work for myself?
Thanks @Tom_Nevesely - for the nudge I needed to make them better.
We’re in the midst of a snowstorm @David_Starr so while I don’t exactly want spring just yet, give me a few months and I’ll be right there with you.
In terms of shadows, yes, there are some on the stems because of the caps. Including them depends on a couple of things - what you’re trying to do and how they help or hinder. In many cases, I LOVE natural shadows on things if they add contour and interest. With Sisters Three, it’s possibly not as much of an intent as it was being in a hurry. The bugs, you see, were making me crazy and I was so close to the car I could smell it. So I rushed, but I also liked the shadows well enough to bother processing so there is that. Often on the forest floor part of the thing that makes it so intriguing is the shadows. The darkness and light created by canopy and clouds. Oh and speaking of clouds - filtering clouds often make for the best shadows. Those are lighter and less of a problem in terms of dynamic range, so another reason these work fairly well to me. If you go look at my shots of Wolf Milk slime mold the shadows are reduced by my use of a reflector because I thought in that case they were too much.
Kris, I’m late to the party. Sorry. Things get a bit crazy around here at times.
I love both shots, and your repost improved them even more. They are so tiny! I am so glad that you included your setup, which really reveals how tiny, as well as giving us an idea of how you made it happen. Thank you.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for answering my question. I understand what you’re saying about shadows. Hard vs Soft. Your Wolf Milk Slime Mold photo is great example of how a soft shadow works to show the spherical shape of the mold. It would look flat without the shadow.
BTW. I recently purchased Zerene. Now I need to learn how to use it and improve on my photo stacking in the field. Guess I’ll be searching for YouTube videos. Thanks for putting onto this software. I gave NPN and you a shout-out in the “Where did you here about Zerene” box.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman - I think Tom’s suggestions were good ones. Sometimes I don’t do as much clean up as I should. I don’t always think to take tripod shots, but this time I did. NPN sticker hiding in the leaves!
No problem, @David_Starr - happy to help. My experience with Zerene and stacking in general has been a lot of experimentation and trial and error. If you search discussions here you’ll find one on stacking that a lot of folks have contributed their wisdom to. That might be a good place to start. And thanks for the shout-out!
