Mushrooms make extraordinary photographic subjects.
They can be brilliantly colorful or nearly invisible. Some tower above the forest floor while others are only a few millimeters across. Gills, pores, scales, droplets, translucent caps and intricate textures offer almost endless possibilities for photography.
You do not need expensive equipment to begin. A modern smartphone is capable of producing excellent mushroom photographs when used carefully.
Start by getting low.
Most mushrooms are close to the ground, and photographing them from standing height often produces little more than a picture of the cap. Lowering the camera toward the mushroom’s level can reveal the stem, underside and surrounding habitat while producing a much more engaging perspective.
Next, pay attention to the background. A small mushroom can easily disappear into a chaotic scene of leaves, sticks and grass. Slightly changing your camera angle may create a cleaner composition without disturbing the habitat.
Soft natural light generally works beautifully for fungi. Cloudy skies, forest shade or light diffused through vegetation can reveal subtle textures without the harsh highlights produced by direct sunlight.
For documentary photography, think beyond the “pretty picture.”
Photograph the entire mushroom, the cap, stem and underside. Include habitat photographs and, when appropriate, an image that shows scale. These details can make your photographs much more valuable as observations.
Most importantly, treat the subject gently. Moving surrounding leaves slightly may sometimes reveal important details, but there is rarely a need to destroy the scene just to produce a more dramatic image.
NAMA’s Visual Arts program recognizes both artistic and documentary approaches to mushroom photography, reflecting the wonderful overlap between science and creativity that fungi inspire.
A mushroom photograph can be art, a memory, an identification aid and a scientific record—all at the same time.
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