PART 4
Mushrooms and fungi come in a cornucopia of wonderful shapes, sizes and colours and they make brilliant subjects on which to practise your macro skills this autumn
One cubic inch of soil can contain up to eight miles of mycelium, the root-like fungal structure sprawling under our O feet. Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of mycelium so there’s plenty of them to photograph, especially after heavy rainfall: look for dark and damp areas of woodlands and forests and inspect deadwood where they thrive. They come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colours, from the very photogenic, but also poisonous, fly agaric (below), to the common Mycena mushrooms we photographed (right). Mushrooms and fungi are generally quite small so a macro lens is ideal; it’s also worth carrying a lens hand blower pump or small brush you can use to clean any dirt off your subjects to save time when editing.
PRO KIT THREE ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR FUN FUNGI SHOTS
1 Binliners easily fit into your kitbag and are useful to lay on when you need to get down low to photograph mushrooms. They will also work well as an impromptu rain cover for your camera kit. It’s also worth wearing suitable waterproof clothing and footwear that you don’t mind getting muddy when you’re out exploring forests.
2 Witha reproduction ratio of 1:1, macro lenses such as 90mm or 105mm can
