What changed: I desaturated and burned in the URC and I cloned out the redwood needle that was “sticking out” of the top of the mushroom. Thank you for pointing those things out.
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
This small mushroom, species still unknown, was hiding in plain sight. Its color blended perfectly with its surrounding. A key element in the health of a forest, a mushroom signs the vibrancy of the nitrogen cycle needed for healthy plant growth. Nestled there among the brown redwood needles and an old dried bay laurel leaf, its color camouflages it so that it can finish out its own life-cycle, and disperse its spores to continue the process of breaking down leaves into nitrogen rich soil.
I framed the photo with a plain central composition, to emphasize the mushroom clearly because I felt it deserved the limelight, even though it was doing its best to hide.
Feedback Requested
Does the composition support the feeling I’m trying to create?
Can anyone help in identifying this species of mushroom? It was found in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.
Beautiful image of the mushroom, the cap has great color and sheen that contrasts nicely with the textures of the ground clutter. Great sharpness and detail as well. My only nit would be brightness and saturation of the URC distracts the eye from the mushroom. I might try to darken that area and desaturate a bit to try and get it to blend into the background a bit more. Great find!
Good point about the URC —it is just a tiny bit distracting in an otherwise great image. A while back there was some discussion about a mushroom ID and @Kris_Smith pegged it as an LBM — little brown mushroom — of which there are many. Other than the ID, I think it is a lovely image that shows the typical environment in a redwood forest. And I’m trying a reply on browser with my iPhone, which is limited compared to my computer, but handy sometimes.
This is gorgeous! Colors are beautiful and just such a wonderfull specimen and setup.
Only small suggestions to make this even better! Agree with color/sat/luminosity in the URC. It’s a little incongruous with the rest of the forest floor. The the same extent, but lesser degree, the actual first element I noticed was the one needle sticking out the top of the mushroom. I liken that to a family photo where a telephone pole is coming out of the top of someone’s head. This is not as bad as that, but you get the idea. I think a simple burn of that one redwood needle would do the trick.
Youssef, this is a fine look at the forest floor and it’s major recycler… The warmth of the colors are very inviting. I’m thoroughly enjoy the crinkly edge of the 'shroom and the glow in the cap. Removing the oof bit in the rework and taming the brightness along the upper right are good improvements. The “needle” could have also been burned-in to reduce it’s eye pull. Centering the subject was also a good idea.
Oh what a gorgeous little thing. The light is indeed lickable and the colors and textures are also a feast for the eyes. The rework improves things perfectly. Nicely spotted and yeah, at this point LBM is totally legit.
Youssef: Your adjustments made an already fine image even better. Discovering little scenes like this is such a delight and you took great advantage of the opportunity. Most excellent. >=))>
I like your revised version, but the original was really good too. Great subject of finding a single mushroom standing out amongst all those pine needles. I like how you centered the mushroom in the frame, as many advise not to do. But when you know it works for you just do it. Nice job Youssef.
