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Photographs and text by Elliott Neep
Copyright © Elliott Neep Wildlife Photography (ENWP)

Fungi can be found in most habitats but are most closely associated with woodland. Fungi grow in various shapes and in a diverse range of colours. You will find individuals that stand alone, but also tufts, clusters, and troops, consisting of dozens of caps. In size they range from the tiny Mycena, at just a few mm, through to the colossal Giant Polypore, which collectively extends to over a metre. Fungi provide an accessible subject and with the right approach and a few basic tips, they are easy to photograph well.

A VERSATILE APPROACH

So what is the best option when photographing fungi? My answer would be “by using ALL options available to you.” If you have a compact camera with a zoom, then use the zoom’s versatility. However, don’t just stand in the same position - move around and over the subject. Get close-up with the wide-angle, get low down with the zoom, and use the macro mode! Look at the fungi with a concerted effort to analyse its structure and form. Are there any patterns or abstract compositions that could benefit from close-up focussing? For example, the cap’s pattern, lots of small caps together, or the gill structure.

If you are using an SLR with a selection of lenses then the options can be even greater. When I am on fungi forays, I generally take 3 lenses: super-telephoto 300mm+, 100mm Macro, and 16-35mm super wide-angle. Together these lenses can produce an array of styles to suit the countless species and habitat combinations.

LIGHTING & CONDITIONS

I always aim to photograph fungi in bright, but overcast conditions after rain as the soft light and damp help saturate colours on the forest floor. There may also be a splatter of water droplets on the fungi for added effect (although you could add this yourself for a bit of sparkle). Many species of fungi look better when they are slightly wet as they glisten and shine.

Be careful of photographing in direct sunshine as many cap fungi (especially the Agarics) have bright white stems. These can easily ‘burn out’ as they will be out of latitude range when compared to the darker leaf litter. For added wildlife interest, exercise a little patience and wait as many flies are attracted to fungi. They will sit perfectly still on the cap while feeding on the surface.

To add a little punch, I sometimes use a subtle amount of flash to light up the stem and underside of a toadstool. I dial in -2.0 on the camera or back of the flashgun and add the Stofen diffuser. More frequently, I use a reflector to light the underside or add some warmth. My 5-in-1 Portaflash reflector provides a great range of options.

SELECTION

Be meticulous in your selection of a specimen. There is no point spending time tidying the scene and taking a photograph if the fungi itself is decaying and ragged, no matter how rare. Most fungi do not stand in the leaf litter all year and some begin to decay within a day after being formed. The toadstool or mushroom that is visible is the fruiting body of a threadlike, fungal mass. This grows out of sight in the leaf litter, earth, or rotting wood. Fungi are sensitive to weather patterns and coordinate their fruiting growth with damp weather. Autumn is a perfect season as there is plenty of decaying matter to fuel the growth. At a suitable time, the fruiting body is grown to release the spores - fungi’s method of reproduction.

Timing has to be either remarkably precise or coincidental, i.e. you stumble across them. As I take many walks into woodland and meadows for other subjects, I have been able to record locations where particular species grow. When the season arrives, I visit the locations, checking on their condition and then photographing the fungi when they are fresh and perfectly formed. It is a good idea to take regular walks and make notes where you see fungi. They are perennial and will spring up in relatively the same place given the right conditions. You can also join a local “Fungi Foray” designed for amateur mycologists and would-be chefs wishing to cook wild fungi.

WARNING: Always carry a field guide and be extremely cautious as to which toadstools you touch with bare hands. Some toadstools are very toxic and others exude hallucinogenic substances from their surface. A few are deadly poisonous if ingested and will make you critically ill from just touching them. If you touch fungi, DO NOT put your fingers in your mouth or eat food without cleansing your hands first! These are just a few species to be wary about: The Death Cap, Amanita phalloides, The Destroying Angel, Amanita virosa, The Fly Agaric, Amanita muscari, and the Deadly Webcap, Cortinarius rubellus.

GARDENING

Macro photography involves the most fastidious approach to gardening. Look closer at the cap and make sure there is nothing stuck on it or growing through it. Clear the area around the fungi of brighter objects such as dried pine needles. If you are shooting from above, select a few freshly fallen autumnal leaves to scatter underneath the cap. A small soft brush and a pair of tweezers are useful items as some caps can be sticky and may have dirt of pine needles stuck to them.

For the diffused portrait style, you will need both an uncluttered foreground and background. I always bring a pair of secateurs and a small pair of scissors to trim away distracting grass, intrusive brambles and twigs. Aim to clear at least 1m behind the fungus. You do not have to ‘slash and burn’ a clearing, but just trim away any distractions.

To make sure you have cleared everything, compose your shot, and use your depth of field preview. If your camera does not have this function, just take a shot and review it, zooming into the foreground and background. After you have finished, please remember that if you have removed leaf litter or branches, replace them exactly as you found them.

MACRO & DETAIL

Macro photography can be an especially ‘subjective’ area of photography as everyone has their own idea of how much depth of field is appropriate. Hence, there are no rules. I have used every f/number from f/2.8 to f/32. It all comes down to personal choice and whether you want a specimen shot or a more ethereal and stylised image. I prefer the latter.

Macro photography can reveal incredible amounts of detail which can be both good and bad. Good for the exquisite relief in surface texture, bad because the slightest bit of dirt or stray blade of grass is a major distraction.

To isolate specific features of fungi, I always rely on my 100mm Macro lens, especially if I am struggling for composition with the other lenses. I put on the Macro and handhold the camera, moving around the fungus, over the cap, under the cap, or over a group. It immediately gives me that inspiration to compose a better photograph. When I find something I like, I setup the tripod to the same angle and take the shot.

‘Stem & Cap’ fungi are the easiest variety to work with. For example, a troop or tuft of overlapping caps makes a particularly pleasing composition with all the circles. Close-up views on individual caps can also produce architecturally strong photographs. Many caps are not just a single colour as they appear to be from afar. Many are streaked or ringed; others display a blend of colours; some have physical characteristics such as the shaggy parasol and fly agaric with its familiar white-on-red spots.

TELEPHOTOS & ETHEREAL PORTRAITS

The telephoto lens is the best option if you want to isolate a mushroom or toadstool and create a diffused foreground and background. You also need the right aperture and working angle. The first step is to get down and dirty!

Take a camping ground mat or garden waste bin liner with you to lie on. Position the camera so it is level with the cap height of the fungi. I frequently use an anglefinder for low-level work as it keeps my chin out of the mud.

The next step is to use the longest lens you have and get as close as you can to the subject (the minimum focus distance). To increase the size of the fungi in the frame, invest in a set of extension tubes or a teleconverter, or simply crop the image.

Focus on the preceding edge of the fungi’s cap. Then with your camera set on AV or aperture priority, set your aperture to its widest setting (lowest f/number). Using the depth of field preview, increase the f/number until the stem of the toadstool is rendered in sharper focus, while preserving a diffused background. One option is to capture a series of images stepping upwards from f/4, f/6.3, and f/8 and review all the images on a larger screen when you get back home.

WIDE-ANGLE & CONTEXTUAL

Although there is a trend for isolation and diffused backgrounds, this requires very little thought or effort regarding habitat and environment. Yet, in the case of fungi, I feel this is an essential element. Including the environment when photographing something so small can be problematic.

Thankfully, the solution is very simple – get close. I refer to this as the ‘contextual style’ and have used it to great effect with all manner of subjects. You need to get as close as your wide-angle will allow. With my 16-35mm, the fungi will probably be touching the lens hood!

Again, try and position the camera at the same level as the fungi. This style works equally well whether it’s a toadstool on the ground, a cluster on a stump, or brackets on a tree trunk. To aid composition with this peculiar view, I generally rely on the ‘rule of thirds’, composing the image so that the toadstool or fungi covered stump is on a corner intersection. This angle gives you a great perspective on the environment, whether it is the tree canopy above or the leaf litter below. It is always worthwhile rotating the camera for a portrait format as this can often help realise the full potential of an autumnal canopy and leaf litter.

A small aperture (f/16 or f/22) is not an overriding requirement for this to work well, although it does produce a great sense of perspective. I’ve recently experimented with f/4-f/8. This throws the background out of focus, but still provides enough detail to give ‘the impression’ of the environment.

LONG EXPOSURE

Mushrooms, toadstools, and brackets are relatively sturdy, so you can use your finest ISO setting. When working in shady woodland, the shutter speed will be considerable even with a wide-open aperture. Therefore a low-working tripod (where the legs can open up completely) or a beanbag is an essential item. Use a remote cable release to reduce the chance of camera shake. If you don’t have access to a cable release, then use the camera’s self-timer. It is worth trying this a few times because conditions may change during the 10-second countdown. If your camera has the option, select the mirror lock-up to reduce vibration still further.