It began in October, the numbness. The sick feeling and lack of appreciation for my photography. For all photography. I couldn’t stand looking at my social media threads. If I saw one more photograph of a pretty girl, in a fluffy dress, standing in an abandoned house, I was going to vomit. Nothing I made was right, or alive. My work felt like a boring rerun. I was in a rut. Unfinished projects were going to stay unfinished. Unreliable models had made me question the worth of my ideas. And then my mom came to visit. We went for a walk in the forest. She showed me what you can find in deep, dark, self-loathing rut. Fungus! Beautiful, ugly, tiny, slimy, spongy, fungus. She stopped every few feet to photograph a new one and I thought okay let me try. Click. The total excitement I experienced photographing fungus in the woods with my mom was so unexpected and so very needed. I found a palate cleanser. Dust off those fluffy dresses, sorry if I was harsh earlier. I feel better again. Happy creating you crazy animals.
Tip 1: use a black piece of construction paper for a nice clean background
The black paper works best when it is placed in the shade or the dark side of the mushroom. Like when you take your hand and look at the light. The darker the paper, the easier the edit.
Tip 2: I underexpose all the images slightly, it will bring out color and texture.
I shot with an Olympus OM-D E-M5II and 12-40 mm pro lens., which has great recovery.
Tip 3: Look down. Once you start looking they are everywhere.
most of these photos were taken within 10-20 minutes walking of my house, some on the walking path to town, some by a grocery parking lot. Some were literally on trees.
Tip 4: bring a small flashlight
9 times out of 10, I used natural light, but when we were a bit deeper into the woods, that small flashlight went a long way, light-painting those mushrooms.
Tip 5: bring some gels (or tissue paper)
I included a flashlight, a few mini led lights and some colored tissue paper to gel the lights in my kit to light paint with in the darker part of the forest.
About The Author
Eva Creel is a photographer based in Germany she specializes in maternity, creative, and underwater photography. You can find more of her work on her website and Facebook page.
