The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Finally we got some rain and mushrooms began fruiting all over. I walked right by this group of honey mushrooms once, but not twice. It was awkward to position the tripod for this, but with a little patience I got it set after trying several different angles to see which would give me the best separation between all five - I couldn’t get the camera more left without running into another stump. It isn’t perfect, but I like it. During the focus bracketing session, the leaf I put up there to conceal a different species of mushroom that was really distracting fell over in the wind. Not once, but twice. I put it back and it wasn’t an issue for Zerene. Stupid wind.
These are honey mushrooms and are edible and while not as sought after as chanterelles or morels, lots of people harvest and eat them. They are decomposers and fruit on stumps, logs or other dead wood. They can be found singly, but most often are in dense groups up to several dozen.
Specific Feedback
These are long gone, but processing ideas are welcome.
Technical Details
Tripod
Focus bracketing, +4 step, 0/+ method
Lr to get the shots into shape for stacking - basically improving sharpness, clarity and overall color and luminosity levels. 31 shots went into Zerene for a slabbing operation to get 4 DMap and 4 PMax sub-stacks. Improved those in Lr again before pulling back to the same project where I stacked each of those substacks. The final image is a retouched DMap. Brought that into Ps for some distraction removal and dodging and burning through luminosity masks to enhance the light and the modeling. Phew!
I love the dynamic range of this micro-scene. The stacking is very clean and the moss sporangia add to the scene. I also like the BG transition from green to golden brown. I like this one as presented…Jim
An excellent image, Kris. I don’t think you really wanted to move further left anyhow-the log makes a better background than the golden leaves for these beauties. A fine arrangement and your stack is beautiful.
Thanks @Jim_Zablotny & @Dennis_Plank - glad you don’t find the positioning awkward or the stack a mess. It’s a deep one, but I have been doing it a long time with this camera & lens combo, so I have a good idea what works and what doesn’t. It turned out better than expected and so might end up a favorite for the year.
Kris, this is a beautiful shot. I love the color play with the BG and the subject. The slanted log coming through the image diagonally helps in the visual too. I absolutely can’t see anything to improve this. It should be hung on a wall!
Beautiful, Kris, for all the reasons already mentioned. Have to say, one of the elements I am enjoying are the tiny spores (I think that is what they are) which are peaking out from behind the honey mushrooms vying for attention! Great shot and nicely done!
Thanks @linda_mellor - I’m glad you like those little guys in back - they are sporophytes and are the reproductive parts of moss (containing their spores). I love finding them and photographing them and so when they’re in a mushroom photo, I try to include them as best as I can. This was going to be a large stack just because of the size of the fungi cluster, so I had a feeling they’d make it.
