This small, colorful mushroom was growing near my pond a couple of weeks ago. I got down to shoot at its level to emphasize the gills while using it’s red for background warmth.
This is nearly life size, where I like the sweep of its curved surface and the texture of the gills.
R5, 180mm macro, 1/15 s, f/8, iso 800, tripod. A 50 shot stack to get all the gills sharp.
I meant to comment on this when it first appeared but got distracted (my default state). But I love it!! Composition, subject and the stack are gorgeous! Very interesting color and lovely light. The perfect right half and damaged left half are a nice touch of reality. If I had a tiny nit (which I really don’t) it would be to soften the left side of the stipe to match the right side. That catches my eye a bit.
I think the image is fantastic: clear, beautiful shapes, great colors, and wonderful texture.
One suggestion I might have for a critique is to have the evenly spaced slats end at 1/3 or 2/3 instead of the center of the image. Overall, I think the image is excellent.
