Mushroom photography has fast become my main focus and I have put together a list of useful mushroom photography tips to help you improve your fungi photography as well.
While there are disagreements within the scientific and mycological communities on the exact numbers, roughly 120,000 species have so far been described and it is estimated there could be as many as 2.2 to 3.8 millions.
The exciting possibility of discovering new species is a motivation as well as raising awareness on the often misunderstood but quite fantastic fungi kingdom, the understanding of which could help us solve our manmade climate issues.
But how can there be such a low proportion of known mushroom species?
Well for a start do you remember learning much about fungi at school? Sadly probably not.
Fungi have for too long been ignored or incorrectly grouped with plants when in fact they are their own kingdom and key to a healthy planet and healthy humans. Did you know humans share 67% of their DNA with fungi?
If you’d like to learn more about the fascinating world of fungi read-on as I’ll include recommendations further down of books and documentaries to get you started. I will also soon write a separate follow-up guide on “how and where to find mushrooms to photograph”.
But beware… once you discover the beauty and diversity of mushrooms and what they can do you’ll just keep researching more, and more and more… Down the rabbit hole they go…
Right, so what are the best tips for mushroom photography?
Mushroom photography tips
Don’t let seasons limit your exploration
Mushrooms are generally known for appearing in Autumn and it is in some sense true simply because of the rain paired with warm weather, it is ideal. In fact fungi grow year-round, some species favour Autumn, others Winter or Spring... Dry summers are the only time when it becomes more challenging yet not impossible. So whatever the season, go explore and you will find mushrooms I guarantee you.
Research potential mushroom sites
The truth is, mushrooms grow everywhere and anywhere but we just don’t see them, fungi are masters of disguise. This means if you are new to this, don’t worry about location yet as only with time and experience will you begin to understand and predict where you’ll find them.
I will soon publish a dedicated article on this subject, how and where to find mushrooms. Until then just look down, in the detail, look for decay as mushrooms are nature’s recyclers, they breakdown dead things and turn them into fertile soil for new plants to grow from.
Buy a trusted mushroom identification guide / book
It is important to try and identify what you find. For safety of course as some mushrooms could make you very sick or worse… kill you. And yet in reality mushrooms aren’t all trying to kill us and only a few are very dangerous so don’t be put-off. The other reason to try your hand at mushroom identification is that it teaches a lot so it’s a good habit to have from day one. Finally it may be that you are about to photograph a yet-to-be-recorded new species, it’d be a shame to dismiss it too quickly!
My favourite book on the subject? “Mushrooms” by the late Roger Phillips. It contains 1250 UK and European species (also found worldwide) and is full of photographs and comprehensive descriptions. This is the bible for fungi fanatics which you will no doubt become if not already!
Choose the right lens
The lens you choose will determine the type of photography you’ll achieve and vice versa.
Personally I like to get close to my subject. I always shoot my macro photography with the Sony FE 90mm f/2.8 Macro G OSS lens for Sony A7 series (click this link for the full article on its macro capabilities)
But others may decide not to use a prime lens (fixed focal length) but instead a zoom lens for more flexibility.
A 50mm lens with a wide aperture (at least f2.8) can also be a good choice.
In reality most lenses will do as long as you accept their limitations and instead turn them into a creative tool. For example if all you have is a wide angle lens, then your mushrooms will not feature as prominently in the photo but will be more a part of the surrounding environment, let this be your style!
Pick the right weather and best time of the day for mushroom photography
As for many other genres of photography the weather matters. Usually following a few rainy days I like to pick an overcast day so the light is not too harsh but rather diffused. I also aim for low wind so to avoid the mushrooms, grasses etc… moving resulting in motion blur or requiring a faster shutter.
I like mornings as they are usually less windy. One can also take advantage of what is considered golden hour in photography. It adds a lot and works very well with meadow mushrooms / toadstools. I tend to avoid midday as the light can be too harsh and casts too much downward shadows on the stipe (the stem of the mushroom).
Bring a sturdy but light tripod for mushroom photography
This isn’t necessary but very useful.
Of course sometimes I just want to have the freedom of walking just with my camera and not a whole photography studio in tow. Tripods can be heavy and mushroom photographers need to be prepared to walk a lot.
Despite the weight, using a tripod will undeniably produce sharper images and that is so relevant to fungi photography since often times mushrooms are in darker corners.
With a tripod you can reduce your ISO to 100, eliminating the visual noise you get at higher ISO. In doing so your camera will need to slow the shutter speed and the tripod is what allows you to get sharp shots at low shutter speeds avoiding camera shake. I also like to up my f number / aperture to f/7.0 - f/13 to increase my depth of field and there fore the detail front and back. This again often calls for slower shutter speeds requiring a tripod.
And finally, mushrooms often grow in truly epically awkward places to reach. The tripod helps you compose calmly a shot without trying at arms length or bent in six.
If you don’t own or want a tripod you can still get excellent mushroom photos so why not read my article “Handheld Macro Photography Tips”?
Wear appropriate outdoors clothing
I did mention that mushrooms grow everywhere so the clothes you choose will not be the same if you study mushrooms growing in a carpark or if you decide to crawl on the forest floor.
Nevertheless one certainty with fungi photography is you will inevitably end up lying flat on your tummy to get the shot.
My advice best would be for good walking shoes as you will be walking a lot and thick trousers, ideally waterproof as you’ll be constantly on your knees or lying down on dry and wet, more often wet as this is when mushrooms appear.
At least bring a bin bag to lie on if you do not have all-weather clothes.
Small scissors are helpful
I’m always finding myself giving the grasses surrounding the mushroom I’m about to shoot a bit of a haircut.
Remove grass or leaves of twigs between your lens (often at ground level) and your fungal model and your shots will improve dramatically.
Carry water and a snack
All this walking will make you thirsty. Bring water or tea, a snack, sit down and enjoy. Forget the camera for a minute and observe your surroundings, smell the forest floor, listen to birds singing. My best finds are often just after a short break, perhaps my eyes just needed a bit of a rest…
Walk slowly
The slower you walk the better you’ll see. That’s true for many genres of photography where you quietly hunt but mushrooms take it to the next level. If you rush, you’ll find nothing.
There you have it, my best “entry-level” mushroom photography tips for all of you interested in fungi photography.
This is only the very beginning as I will delve deeper into the subject this coming year with increasingly detailed articles.
Later on this year there’ll be room for learning a bit of focus stacking but for now we keep it simple, I personally prefer not to spend hours processing my images so I can spend more time outside shooting.
Now… are you ready for some inspirational eye candy?
Visit my dedicated mushroom photography gallery for some of my best mushroom photos but also be sure to follow me on IG @nicholasgoodden where you’ll be up to date with all my latest seasonal fungi finds with proper descriptions and where you can drop me a comment or a message and interact with other mushroom fanatics.
Finally… before we go, if you are seriously curious about mushrooms and want to develop your understanding of them I highly recommend reading “Entangled Life” by Merlin Sheldrake and watch the Netflix documentary “Fantastic Fungi”.
This may just change the way you look at fungi and life forever.
Happy mushroom photography.
Until next time!