aka Wolf’s Milk slime mold that I found in the yard - it really is this bright, orangey-pink. Slime molds are single-cell organisms that mostly live solitary lives. When conditions are right they congregate together in the millions and form these fruiting bodies on rotting wood. Like the fruiting bodies of fungi, these are for spore dispersal, starting as bright pink and turning gray as they mature. The spores inside are in a gluey mass and so sometimes these are called Toothpaste Slime molds. This is a stack of around 12-20 shots. IRL this formation is about 1 inch long.
Specific Feedback Requested
I have this view which I find to be more artistic, and a more documentarian view actually showing the spore paste leaking out. Which do people prefer with images like this? Would you like me to post that one for comparison? Also, technical merits - give that a go.
Technical Details
Tripod
in-camera focus bracketing, natural light, but with a reflector
Lr for basic raw work on all shots for the stack - brought highlights down and shadows up, corrected white balance, gave it a little crop and rotation.
Zerene for stacking and retouching. Usually I try to get the cleanest DMap image I can and fill in with some PMax detail.
Lr to correct the resulting TIF which is usually too contrasty and noisy and needs color boost.
Love this one, Kris! You must have been totally on your knees or flat on the ground to get this shot. Wonderful how the shape of the “slime” is echoed in the bokeh background. The diagonal lines created by the wood add a more dynamic feel, at least for me. Very nicely seen.
Ooops, sorry @Robert_Thompson, I didn’t notice that this submission was part of the Guest critique.
Hi Lycogla thanks for posting. A very nice image with attractive bokeh adding the finishing touch. Focus stacking is an aspect that I’m involved in quite a bit, also testing equipment at higher magnifications. I work with different companies. I like the angle taking it off the horizontal . When stacking, I frequently start the focus point further back and finish just beyond where I want to focus to stop so I can choose exactly where I want it to start and end. My only comment is that it might have been helpful to start the stack just a little further back in this case so all of the wood is in focus. But it’s a nicely handled shot!
Fascinating – I’ve never seen anything like this! Very nicely photographed. I don’t mind the soft FG as it is low contrast and its softness keeps emphasis on the subject. I’d love to see your other shots of this.
Interesting you say you’d like to see all the wood in focus. I thought about doing that, but didn’t want to add the visual weight there without a reason. Do you have examples in your own work where you’ve considered it a benefit?
Very nice Kristen. I agree with Diane…I don’t find the OOF bit of foreground a problem at all in macro work unless the blurred areas get in the way of the centre of attention, and they do lead into the main subject in my opinion.
I really enjoy photographing slime mould…something weird going on I guess… and funnily enough I almost posted a pic of some coral slime mould yesterday. But I’ll leave that one for a while now!
Your image looks great with wonderful detail and a lovely colour combination. I also like that you provide plenty of information about it.
I am also in two minds about including the ‘gooey’ slime mass that these moulds produce. I had actually edited it out of mine and I think yours is excellent as it is. It’s just this artistry versus technicality dilemma that always accompanies macro work and which of those we choose would depend on who might view the work. Cheers.
Thanks @Phil_G - slime molds are pretty cool actually, so post away. I’ve only started seeking them out and haven’t found or photographed the really tiny ones. I’d probably need extension tubes or a microscope lens to pull it off.
So here is the more documentarian view of the same little formation. It’s from the other side and the canopy background type of view wasn’t possible, so the background is the leaf litter surrounding the log -
That little bit of spore goo coming out was all that was present so far. As these age they turn grayish brown and that’s the sign the spores are mature.
Here’s another little cluster on another part of the same log -
Thanks @Diane_Miller - they do sort of have that aspect. Saw some in the less colorful gray the other day, but didn’t take any photos as I didn’t have this lens to hand.
I like your low point of view, the combination of pinkish orange and green. But in particular I like the repetition of shapes: the in focus pink discs versus the oof white discs of bright spots in the distance. I have seen this species in my neigbourhood too.
Thanks @Igor_Hoveijn - It was kind of a challenge to get so low, but my tripod has no center column so it goes low, plus I have a small beanbag that I also used to get even lower. They were so bright and pristine that I had to give it a try!
