Today, in Sweden, i took a walk. It was a nice day for it. I took my Nikkon CoolPix S4300 point and shoot and had me a #FungiFriday because there was #FungusAmongUs. At first, the walk was not all that glorious in regard to finding these little fruiting bodies. Then i happened upon this beauty...
I took around 200 shots and about 180 or more were worthy shots to share here. I decided to break this into two posts and share about 40 or so here. Since there is so much to see... i will keep my words fairly brief.
Right next to that white mushroom i found the puffball kind. The ones that spread their spores by spraying them in the air. It's the kind of stuff you see in movies and games.
I tried to get a shot of the puff and stuff coming out... which turned out quite difficult. I took a couple of squeezes to no avail. I kind of felt bad for wasting that little dude.
There turned out to be a couple more right next to the one above so i got a shot of it. I found the spore puff more visible in the black and white. You can see the vaporous mist a little around the inside of my thumb and above my finger. You can also see a smokelike puff to the right of the shroom and just above the stick on the ground. I was going to highlight the stuff but it seemed to detract from the photography. So, it may take a little eye work on your part but i assure you there is a spore puff in the photo below!
I always like to try and get a profile shot of the shrooms. I like to see what eye level would be if we were that small. I always find interesting and unexpecting things by considering the profile and style of the mushrooms.
I generally try to get a shot of each angle of the caps if i can. It sets the tone for the walk too... like a before, during, and after shot. All of these images are in the chronological order they were experienced and taken.
In my mind... it's kind of like you went on the walk with me when viewed this way.
This one below was not all that interesting but it did catch my eye for the simple reason it grew carrying that stick on it's back. I don't know if that's the shitty end of the stick... but that shroom Honey Badgered it's way to the top baggage and all.
That stick wasn't huge but shrooms are pretty delicate early on. I just imagined the little dude struggling to carry the load.
This little family of caps made me happy to see. The further around the lake and into the woods i went the more fungal friends i found.
I noticed when i was getting photos ready for this post how cool the grass looked interweaving between the caps. It really added a nice dynamic to the framing.
Each little (or big) mushroom seems to have it's own identity and character. I try to find the unique and beautiful in/on each one i photograph to capture and share that with you. Some of the contours and folds that these things take on as they grow really stir my soul.
I can almost see the motion it took to get to the static point i am viewing these mushrooms in. I would love to timelapse some of these and see the motion for real. But... an imagination is better when put to use.
The time of day was also nice since sunbeams would shine through from time to time. I particularly loved the way this unfurled edge shone in the light.
I always have a difficult time capturing the complete ambiance of the scenery when i shoot. Lighting is never the exact same, so the color is never the exact same and it's kind of sad that you are limited only what i can capture.
Practice Makes Perfect
On my follow up post i will spend some time musing about texture. I feel like texture is part of the design and beauty of mushrooms that gets easily overlooked.
Even the moss looks cool here! The forest has a lot of characters with a lot of character. This kind of mushroom reminds me of a brownie for some reason. (Definitely Don't Eat)
I can see why green is the color of the forest and why there are so many cultures that speak of the Green Man. When the light would shine... there would be this greenish overcast on everything. You can really see it in this next one. It has a real yellowish underbelly... but it's almost always tinted green in photos. The reflected green light contaminates the true yellow.
I did get the glossy area to show off the shine. I will share some really slick shots in the next post.
This one they call Devil's Mushroom around here. Some of them do look like a giant hoof.
As much as i love the traditional shape of the mushroom cap... i also have come to love the high profile on the mature caps too. I like the profile they have when they have a plateau on top.
The gills look really cool too! Sometimes, i think they are my favorite parts.
These remind me of the candy that nobody ever liked for Halloween... Bottle Caps
We walked fairly far... but it's always a longer walk on the way back. I noticed a lot of wasted mushrooms on their way out of this life and found some super gnarly ones! Shredded, rotten, eaten, beaten, and broken... i definitely wasn't complaining about my plight as i captured these in decay!
I also noticed more than a few caps separating from the gills... which looked cool but seemed odd.
What a glorious demise!
A lot of the split tops appeared to me to take on the shape and structure of flower petals. Almost like a bud budding out and the petals rolling out... but in reverse. It's like the older and more dead they get... the more they split and lose structural integrity.
Tooth Heart comes to mind when i see this one.
I like the orange tone down where the veil stayed attached to the stem.
These light neutral tones popping out from underneath the brown skin of the cap always create a cool crackle look or some sort of pattern.
To wrap this post up i put some of my favorites in this last section. This post would be 200 photos and 20,000 words or more if i don't stop now! hahaha
Personally, i never get tired of looking at mushrooms to be honest. I know there are a few weirdos like me around these parts!
I didn't want to ruin the look through of the best shots with my words... but this one below looks awesome. Clearly a face...
You can see the iridescent glitter shine in the darker red portions in the image below. Those gills look pretty sweet too!
These are a glimpse of the kind of shine i mentioned earlier! Snot balls and company...
And it just wouldn't be right if i ended this post without a Mario Mushroom! This one had some real color to it. I like how you can see the grass blade shadows.
Just kidding... it's over for now. I hope you enjoyed this walk with me and the beauty experienced, captured, and shared along the way. Let me know which one or the ones you like the best if you feel for it! It's been a long time since i was even able to take photographs of mushrooms that it's an absolute pleasure to share the experience with you all.
Thanks for stopping by and Take Care! Have a fantastic Fungi Friday and weekend to come.
