[Göran]

I took this and some more shots close to dawn, on the bed of the forest. Because I currently have no tripod, I had to take it at a high iso. This, together with the lens being great but old, lead to the noticeable noise. What I'd like is a critique on the composition and editing, as well as any tips concerning close-up photography in dark locations, such as the forest. I am thinking of getting a good tripod for some time now, so that will help me in that regard as well.

Please, be ruthless

[Adam]

I think the photo still looks pretty good despite the noise. It doesn't really bother me at all. Also, the two distinct halves in the background are nice.

However, the extra leaves are a bit distracting and take away from the subject. The one on top might work, but I think excluding the others would boost the composition. Beyond that, bumping up the exposure and vibrance, and perhaps adding a vignette effect would help the photo pop.

[desertscape]

Needs a bit more DOF. I would crop it a bit tighter around the subject (remove some top and bottom).

[Göran]

Alright, thank you for the help. I tried cloning away the bottom leaf. The one on the mushroom adds to the composition, in my opinion. I also added some more saturation and a vignette.
On the right, it has a tighter crop.

[pentaxfall]

Very nice.

[BrianR]

- You already know this, but get a tripod. This lets you use base iso and whatever aperture you desire. A sturdy full sized tripod that can splay its legs out is great, but half the time I'm using a gorillapod for fungi, especially if they're on or near the ground.

- Get an IR wireless remote. The dark forest places often have spongy ground, mirror lock-up + a remote from a few feet away is a good plan.

- I'm not a fan of the lighting in your image, it's a nice soft light but mostly from above. The stem vanishes into the darkness, and you lose some interesting details. A little reflector below may help, but...

- I'm a big fan of having artificial lights handy. A little led light panel can work wonders here, up close enough you could use it as nice soft sidelight for your fungus and knock the ambient down a stop or so to dim the background and let the 'shroom stand out. Or you could use it as a light fill from below. Or from the side and a bit behind to put a little rim-light on the stem. The great thing about low-light forest close-ups of non-moving things is a little led panel can be extremely versatile and help you make the image into what you want it to be.

- An off-camera flash and a mini-softbox is also a pile of versatility, but a continuous light is probably easier to learn with for stuff like this.

- I may have gone with a lower angle here, to show more of the stem detail (I think an annulus is just out of view). On the other hand, I may have gone with a higher background to get more of those nice colourful leaves.

I'd say you're off to a good start, there's no one way of doing things. Have fun!

[Göran]

Thanks for all the tips! Here is a shot I have taken where the stem is clearly visible. I liked this one as well.

[BrianR]

Thanks for all the tips! Here is a shot I have taken where the stem is clearly visible. I liked this one as well.

I prefer this one. It shows off the wonky shape of the cap better (it has character), and gives me a better feel for the 'shrooms makeup (specifically the semi-translucent areas of the cap which add quite a bit of interest imo)

[pentaxfall]

This is still better. Camera is close to the ground and that gives a different view point.

[Schraubstock]

However, the extra leaves are a bit distracting and take away from the subject.

Very true, Adam, but this can be softened a bit and then it becomes acceptable. Me thinks.
But in the end one has to ask, what is a perfect picture. If this is what nature has to offer, so be it.

I am more for colour accuracy with some tolerance for creating a special mood if so required. In this case however I lean toward less supercharged green which in my opinion takes away from the mushroom too much.

At first I thought the image should be a bit brighter but then I changed my mind.
I prefer the feel of a somber darker mood because these fungi do not grow in bright areas and the pic ought to reflect this.

A bit of a crop as well perhaps.

Overall I like the pic.

(Bottom pic is the original)

[normhead]

MY tripod set up..... complete with K-1 and DFA 100 Macro WR
This tripod can be carried in a jacket pocket, if you have a jacket with big pockets. But I just use it like a handle for the camera.



My mushrooms from this year, at least half taken with this tripod.
My flickr mushroom album

A tripod (with the 2 second) enables you to keep your ISO down, I find shooting on the forest floor without a tripod very unreliable. I often take exposure at different ƒ-stops the best way to get the DoF right. I usually do ƒ4- ƒ16 and on the K-1 sometimes ƒ-22.

Also, if you have a camera with Pixel Shift, mushrooms are great candidate for that as well.

[Adam]

I like the version on the left if post #4. Nice improvement!