I’ve taken fairly some mushroom images over the previous few years and most of them have been completed with my macro lens. Mushrooms are sometimes tiny, and it’s very inviting to single them out with a lovely smooth background. I wrote a specific article about this back in 2020.
However after all, as a photographer, I wish to evolve. I wish to attempt for brand spanking new inventive angles and do one thing completely different, so I began focusing extra on the environment of mushrooms. I wish to present the magic world of the forest that lies round them. I seen that already with my macro lens, the place I usually shoot a little bit bit wider to incorporate some further components, like on this specific picture the place I present the tiny scale of this mushroom among the many surrounding autumn leaves:
Additionally, I began to experiment increasingly more with focus stacking in mushroom images. Focus stacking is usually utilized in macro photographs (particularly these tremendous sharp insect images). Right here I exploit this method to get this small scene with shrooms that grew round an autumn leaf from a top-down perspective:
However I additionally use it in wide-angle panorama images to get every part sharp from entrance to again. Fairly a few of my photographs are fairly identified for these ultra-wide angles the place every part is tremendous sharp.
The Totally different Method
This 12 months, I approached the mushroom season a little bit bit otherwise. I needed to seize the mushrooms and actually present their setting. I needed to mix the world of macro with the world of wide-angle landscapes, two completely different worlds that I actually love, and produce them collectively in images. And I needed to do all this in my very own ‘fairytale’-like model.
Upon posting a few of these on-line, I’ve obtained an unbelievable quantity of optimistic responses with individuals usually saying that they haven’t seen this manner of photographing mushrooms earlier than. I’m certain that is nothing new and that it’s been completed by many earlier than me, however the best way of photographing mushrooms like this actually impressed me to do extra. Folks additionally requested many questions on the work, and that’s really one of many predominant causes for writing this text: in order that I can merely hyperlink to it when individuals ask the identical questions time and again.
If you wish to skip proper to the questions, there’s the FAQ part on the backside of this text.
Within the picture above, we see a gaggle of mushrooms with a misty forest behind it. The approach used to seize this picture is to get very low with the digicam (nearly on the bottom). Pictures are taken from a tripod, so that you want a tripod to get tremendous low to the bottom. Additionally, a flip display screen in your digicam is a giant plus. Then, I don’t get ‘too’ near the mushroom. As a result of I desire a correct steadiness between the dimensions of the mushroom and the forest behind it. So I transfer barely again after which zoom in a little bit bit. This was shot with a 24-70mm lens, at 39mm. So actually not even that vast.
As a result of I’m fairly low to the bottom and I usually need to put the tripod in tight areas, I at all times test the composition with my telephone first, in order that I can rapidly see the way it’s going to look. A tip I can suggest to everybody: Use a small tripod for photographs like this, as a result of a giant tripod will get very clumsy in these tight areas.
I then used a way referred to as ‘focus stacking’ the place I take a number of photographs at completely different focal factors and later mix them collectively, to get the entire shot in focus. Even taking pictures at f/22 doesn’t get the background sharp. And in these images, I needed to create that third-dimensional look that you could obtain with correct focus stacking. I’ve a tutorial about this method on YouTube.
Right here’s the remainder of the collection. All of those have been captured throughout misty mornings within the Netherlands. As you possibly can see, we at present don’t have autumn colours but. However the forests are filled with mushrooms!
Answering Widespread Questions
As talked about earlier than: many questions have been raised about these photographs once I confirmed them on a number of social media platforms, so let’s discuss a few of these:
Query: Are there at all times so many mushrooms within the Dutch Forests?
No! You discover most mushrooms in autumn round October and November within the Netherlands. This 12 months, there are numerous of them due to the comparatively heat local weather and plenty of rain. Colleague photographer & good friend Jan Vermeer has a complete picture e book in regards to the completely different mushrooms within the Netherlands. Undoubtedly test that out if you wish to see all of the completely different ones in a lovely method!
Query: Are these (partly) generated with AI?
AI is a sizzling subject nowadays, and folks usually suppose that my images are generated with AI. This isn’t the case. I spend numerous work within the discipline and I notice that a few of these look ‘unreal’. I feel it’s the mix of the main target stacking approach with the enhancing model that makes individuals have these doubts. However I can guarantee you they’re actual images.
Query: How a lot enhancing is concerned in these images?
These images have been shot in RAW format. Which means you need to do some enhancing to deliver the colours out. For instance: In the event you shoot images together with your smartphone, your smartphone does a ton of enhancing to your photographs to make them look ‘good’. Skilled cameras that shoot in RAW format don’t do this, so sure there’s enhancing concerned. Other than the ‘focus stacking’ (talked about above), common touch-ups have been completed relating to colour and distinction. No components have been added or eliminated.
To offer you an instance of an unique RAW file (with none focus stacking) from the primary picture on this collection:
Opinions on enhancing and elegance tremendously differ, particularly on-line. Everybody likes to say ‘I’d have completed x and y’ or ‘I like toe RAW far more!’ However that is my enhancing model and my method of displaying these images to my viewers. Some individuals prefer it, some don’t, and that’s completely superb. Images could be boring if all of us did the identical issues.
Observe: In case you are occupied with my enhancing model: I’ve a course accessible that teaches you ‘How one can get essentially the most out of your RAW recordsdata’. You’ll find that here.
Query: What settings have been used?
I’ve already described the approach above and put all of the settings in each picture. You would possibly query: Why have been you principally taking pictures at an aperture of f/14 for focus stacking? For my lenses, f/14 is on the sting of shedding sharpness due to diffraction. Additionally, f/14 remains to be a slim aperture which supplies good overlap when it comes to focus stacking. In the event you use an open aperture like f/4, you would wish far more images to get every part sharp, and the entire course of turns into a complete lot harder. Shutter velocity is easy: I exploit the shutter velocity that’s required to get a correctly uncovered picture. ISO is generally 200, whereas the bottom ISO of my digicam is 100. Why use 200 then? To cut back the shutter velocity and get sharper leaves. Though there was principally no wind in these images, the leaves of bushes usually transfer a little bit bit. To get them sharp within the picture, I exploit a little bit bit greater ISO. The remainder of the settings, you possibly can merely discover above.
Query: Do you employ further lighting when photographing mushrooms?
Whereas I like to see individuals get inventive with mushroom images, utilizing issues like LED lights to make some actually lovely images, I don’t do it. I like to point out them of their pure world with the pure climate and lightweight. I do that in these collection, however I additionally do it once I {photograph} them with a macro lens. I merely love utilizing pure gentle.
Query: Are you able to identify all of the mushrooms?
I really can’t. After all, I can look them up. I may suggest the documentary ‘Improbable Fungi (it’s actually unbelievable)’, however I’m definitely not an knowledgeable. I don’t care that a lot about which mushrooms I see, so long as they ‘communicate’ to me they usually look lovely of their surrounding. However I’m certain there are numerous consultants studying this text, and please do touch upon the names of those mushrooms and another attention-grabbing information there’s about them! I really like issues like that!
Query: I wish to go to the Netherlands and see mushrooms! When and the place?
Superior! As talked about above: mid-October to mid-November is the most effective timing I’d say. You’ll find them in principally any forest. Merely test the woodlands on the map and go. Numerous these photographs have been taken within the lovely Speulder Forest within the Netherlands. It’s one of many oldest forests within the nation.
In regards to the writer: Albert Dros is an award-winning Dutch photographer. The opinions expressed on this article are solely these of the writer. His work has been revealed by a few of the world’s largest media channels, together with TIME, The Huffington Publish, The Day by day Mail, and Nationwide Geographic. You’ll find extra of his work on his website, or by following him on Facebook and Instagram. This text was additionally revealed here.
