Some Fungi with GH5 + Olympus 60mm Macro

I had two hours yesterday between the rain and decided to look around a local forest and see if there was any fungi around. It was mostly a cloudy dull day and had just stopped raining when I arrived, so not very bright, especially as I was there in the mid afternoon.

I was able to get a few photos of various fungi in the 2 hours I spent here before it started getting a bit darker and had to leave. The forest is quite large, so I was only able to check out a small part of it and only found a few fungi or probably would have found more.

All these shots were taken with my Panasonic GH5 and Olympus 60mm Macro lens and a tripod (the last image was taken with an Olympus 12-40 at 40mm f/5.6 and the second image was taken with my camera on the forest floor pointed up at the fungi with a 5 second shutter at ISO 320 as the small tripod I was using wouldn't go low enough.

I found the IBIS on the GH5 works really well with the second image, especially since I couldn't get the camera perfectly still while holding a light on my left hand ant trying to press the shutter while getting the correct composition and focus with my right hand.

I used mostly slow shutter speeds (between 1/6 and 1/20 second) at between ISO 200-320, and between f/6.3 and f/9.0. for all the images and took them in RAW.

To get a little more light, as I don't have a flash, I used an Aputure M9 LED light and held it close enough to the subject, without having my hand holding the light, in shot. I did this because I found using the light on the camera shoe with a macro lens, doesn't work as the light doesn't get into the lens and the exposure on the camera doesn't get any brighter. I might get another one or two and try that in the future to see if that adds enough light.

Bracket Fungi on branch

Bracket Fungi on branch (Close Up)

Another bracket fungi on fallen tree (Olympus 12-40 at 40mm)

A small LED light?  Brilliant idea (no pun intended:-). I will have to experiment,

great photos btw.

I like your images. Several are very colorful.

I particularly like the colours in the first picture, but was wondering if it is upside down.

Peter Del

Thanks everyone. I think I should have increased the colour saturation slightly on those before uploading as originally I took them in Adobe RGB and the colours looked better than they do here. If I get a chance. I am going to go out to see if I can find more fungi to take photos of in the area I found these.

enssorcel wrote:

Good to see fungi on the other side of the lens . I like projects like this using unusual and maybe 'boring' subjects. Usually turn out not boring at all like in your pictures

Well I am sure we all would rather have fungi as the subject in front of the lens, not on or inside the lens!

Peter Del wrote:

I particularly like the colours in the first picture, but was wondering if it is upside down.

Peter Del

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Gallery: http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/8804053911

No, I found the fungi growing on a large branch, but couldn't photograph it where it was as it was covered partly by a fallen tree, so I took off the part of the branch with the fungi on it and laid it on the fallen tree and pointed my camera straight down on it and took that. The fifth image down is the same branch with the same fungi, only taken from a side angle.

I have posted more images of the fungi I took when I went back on Monday, on the Nature and Wildlife Forum if you would like to see more fungi I found here: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/60178870