Mushrooms in the rain

We were out clearing out ditches during a brief respite from rain when I saw these mushrooms. I had to wait for several more showers to pass before going back with a camera. I decided to forego a polarizer and go for the wet look, but I did stack. I was feeling rushed and just as I got back up the hill to the house it started raining again.

No idea what these are (besides mushrooms). They are about 7" across. Quite a few varieties have sprouted in the recent warm rains.

It has rained every day for the past 16 days, but it will be over in 2-3 days. California has been getting much-needed runoff into desperately low lakes and snowpack that will provide needed water in summer, but many coastal areas have been very hard hit with flooding. We’re in good shape on high ground.

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All comments welcome!

Technical Details

Screen Shot 2023-01-14 at 4.50.11 PM

Shadows raised and Highlights darkened in Lr. Stack of 12. Some added blur on the BG.

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I like how you managed to preserve a small bit of oof at the back of the farther mushroom. Sometimes stacking I think can tempt us to seek too much perfection with the focus, making the subject look unnatural - but not here. The sprouting acorn (?) adds an interesting touch. Glad you’re keeping safe.

Diane, seems to be just right to me on the blur…never knew shrooms could look so good… :sunglasses:

OOOh La La! Mushroomy goodness. What a gorgeous little scene you found. Not just the mushrooms but the oak leaves - they’re practically glowing. I agree with your choice to leave the bg quite blurry and to blur it more if the camera didn’t quite give you the image you wanted in the stack. I see a few areas where the mask wasn’t tight and I can see the original background, but you could fix that pretty easily.

Sorry about the deluge though - California’s hydrology upstate has been so broken for so long that I hope the area recovers and that this teaches some lessons about water management; especially sequestering ground and surface water. You guys need some beavers!

But at least you get to go find these beauties. I could have a stab at and ID, but I don’t have books specifically for that part of the country - mine are all east and midwest.

ETA - the acorn!!!

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Thanks, @Mike_Friel, @Paul_Breitkreuz and @_Kris. I do need to do some better masking on the blur. I have a local source for ID, but not really that concerned about it. Rain has abated for a few more hours and I need to go hunting again. Mushrooms and acorns are sprouting everywhere, and wild pigs came through a couple of nights ago and roto-tilled a big area under oaks down by the creek. The ground is now incredibly rough (big 12" pits and mounds of dirt) and by the time the grass grows and needs to be cut down in the dry season (for fire protection) it will be extremely difficult to do a decent job. Smooth ground is so much easier to work on. We may have to hire a tractor to drag it smooth. And deer have done major damage to 10 young redwoods, using them as scratching posts for their antlers in the fall before we discovered it and put up motion activated sprinklers. And ground squirrels are creating a huge mess everywhere. I’m getting very frustrated with nature, but I saw the local Red-tailed Hawk carry a branch to the nest I discovered last summer, and am fervently hoping they will use it again! It’s a distant and difficult subject, but I’ll be spending time there if they seem to be using it.

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This is really nice Diane. The colours and their tones are wonderful and the way the fungi nestle into each other, like an old married couple, is perfect. I like your choice of OOF area, although I might crop a little off the bottom. Overall, though it is the red tone of some of the leaves and the symmetry in shape of the two mushrooms that appeals most to me. Lovely. Cheers.

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Beautiful, Diane. I love the monochromatic color scheme and the softness of the light. OOF background works very well and must admit, my old eyes did not even notice the masking issue.
I am so jealous of all the rain you’re getting. I have a brother in northern California who shares your sentiments though.

Beautiful shrooms, Diane. They look like they’d be awesome in an omelette. :slightly_smiling_face: Assuming they’re not poisonous.

I like how they’re folding over/around each other. That acorn is a nice touch. I think the focus stack works well here. Nice catch, Diane.

These mushrooms are perfect by themselves - you nailed the detail, and you nailed the focus stacking. I really like striations in the sides and woody stems and puffy curvy tops. Your narrative story injects extra life to the mushrooms as it tells the impact of the California rains, offering a sign of hope and simple beauty. Terrific!

Thanks, @Phil_G, @linda_mellor, @David_Bostock and @Larry_Greenbaum! David, I like your suggestion – of an omelette! Wish I knew more about these things but I’ll be happy enough with pictures.

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And I just now got back to NPN after being too busy for a couple of weeks and saw the EP! What a lovely surprise! Many thanks, @_Kris and @Bill_Fach!

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