Fungus Festival

[chris cnc]

i think they are the best fungi photos i have ever seen. beautiful

[log_hauler]

Too many good pics to pick one but I like the trametes? first pic second post, as they are hard to photograph well for some unknown, inexplicable reason, and you have managed it. Please feel free to post a bit of advice on what settings you use in the phototalk thread. Especially as you're using a high end compact and not a DSLR.

 

Thanks for the positive comments. Mostly taken on Aperture Priority setting at F8 and lowest ISO (film speed) setting. This will usualy mean you need a tripod and/or flash- geting the lighing right is everything in fungus photos. It's also nice to get an unusual or low angle. I had to lie on the forest floor for some of the shots!

 

I've just noticed by the file name that the last photo (fly agric) was taken on a DSLR (Fuji S5 Pro) so I'd expect the quality to good on that one.

[Albedo]

Thanks for the tips log hauler. I forgot to say in my haste that there is clearly a bit of talent in there as well as any tech info that you may have to offer. You have 'the eye' for a good shot thats for sure, look forward to seeing more.

 

I find the built in flash on my LX5 (compact) does more harm than good, so have a way to go on use of flash, although Hama's had some good results with the flash on the same camera.

[Forest Imp]

I agree, these are brill shots, and I'm envious !

 

More so, because I use a Canon G10 (G9's replacement - which itself has now been replaced by G11) and also a Nikon D90 with Micro Nikkor 105mm 2.8 ED VR lens.

Obviously you have the patience to familiarise yourself with the camera properly and use its full potential, whereas simpleton me has only read the basic set-up instructions (then I fall asleep ! - old age, sigh) and I just do not have room to take a tripod with me.

 

My D90 body stays attached to the Olympus BX50 microscope most of the time and disgracefully, my highly praised macro lens has become a bit of a white elephant.

 

Note for people planning to buy a high end macro: Be prepared for very small depth of field and the weight of the thing !

[Albedo]

There is a key bit of advice in log haulers tip that i'm going to try today. He didn't leave ISO on auto, he used the lowest ISO.

 

I use a flexi tripod which wont be steady enough for this but is easy to carry as only 6 inches long, but have bought a cheapy stiff legged 6 inch tripod which I'm going to try today.

 

With regard to DOF on high end compacts. It is very narrow if you use it on auto, but mine has a range of F2 to 8 on Aperture priority so it can be a lot deeper as you can see by the photos in this thread which are taken at F8.

A DSLR would have more and i'm interested to know what SJH is using as he gets very sharp images with loads of DOF. Also monkey D is achieving similar things with his G11

[Arborowen]

they are great photo's but i must admit some do look photoshopped (not saying they are just they "look" like they are!)

 

Photos that are taken by a photographer with scope for composure, lighting and design can often look "artificial" just purely because they look so good. But i imagine looking the lighting, more than one light source was used or a sneak y trick to prevent shadowing from flash.

[log_hauler]

Photos that are taken by a photographer with scope for composure, lighting and design can often look "artificial" just purely because they look so good. But i imagine looking the lighting, more than one light source was used or a sneak y trick to prevent shadowing from flash.

 

 

All my photos (and probably most other photographers) undergo some form of tweaking before posted on the web. The most obvious thing is an image resize (to bring a 4000x3000 pixel image to a web friendly 800x600 size). Always after re-sizing an image you should apply the 'unsharp mask' filter. This makes the photo a little sharper. I like my images colourful so I sometimes boost the colour saturation a bit- but never to the point where it looks unatural.

 

Flash photography can be a bit hit & miss. My DSLR is always spot-on. But the Canon compact usualy needs turning down (there are three flash level settings) in order to avoid over exposure. Obviously if you're right up close to the fungi you don't want to hit it with full power. Experimentation is the key- the good thing about fungus is that it doesn't move very much! So you you should have plenty of time to compose the shot and try a few different settings.

 

Once you mastered fungus try photographing something that flies off the instant you come near it - if you want to increase the difficulty levels!!

 

Wild birds & dragonflies are hardest.....

 

[Bart]

Stunning pics log_hauler:thumbup1:

[RobArb]

[Albedo]

By way of a thankyou for the tip Log Hauler, here's my effort from today using low ISO and high Fstop (ISO 100, F8 and some PP). I have a rack of excuses for some of my failures at this fine group of fungi, but this is one that'll do. Thanks again for adding to the armoury of technique with your advice.