Fungus & Crowds
Dec 13, 2016 13:16:55 #
Bugfan
Loc: Toronto, Canada
Fungus has always been a favourite subject for me. I have spend my life committed to portraying the ugly in the hope of getting people to appreciate that those life forms are actually attractive too. That's what drives me to do insects, arachnids, and fungus.
When doing fungus it's necessary to look everywhere. You can't stroll along a path and just have it all pop out at you. Sure sometimes it's growing our of teh side of a log or a tree and it's obvious, but many times it's under the leaf letter or hidden inside a hollow log. To do fungus you need cool moist days usualy early spring and fall and you need to walk slowly peering under all kinds of things.
That happened to me one time when I visited a gorge. in the middle of the forest I found a scene under a log that was like something out of a Disney cartoon. I just had to capture that image. I set up my macro tripod (one that goes flat on the ground), then I set up the camera and I scattered a few mirrors about to get light into that dark place. I messed about for a good half hour concentrating on what I was doing. Ony my subject existed for me. Finally, after that half hour or so with me lying in the mud beside that log I was ready to do the picture. I pressed my cable release, advanced the camera, pressed it again etc. Finally, having gotten my images now, I finally lifted myself from the ground and kneeled there to take everything apart when I happened to look about. It seems I had drawn a crowd. I don't know where they came from but there were about fifty people standing in rapt fascination at what I was doing.
Kneeling now I was clearly finished so a few bold kids came forward to ask what I was doing. So I let them peek through the view finder. Then their parents wanted a turn. It was another half hour before I could finally take the gear apart and move on.
It seems that if you're waking around with a phone no one cares what you do with it. But set up a tripod, put a big complex camera on it and start crawling in the mud and people seem to feel you must be a professional which then encourages them to stand and watch.
Here is that shot ... It's a bit fuzzy but then it was initially an ASA 25 Kodachrome slide that I subsequently also scanned and then downsized for sending out by email. The original looks a lot better. But this one illustrates the product of that hour.
When doing fungus it's necessary to look everywhere. You can't stroll along a path and just have it all pop out at you. Sure sometimes it's growing our of teh side of a log or a tree and it's obvious, but many times it's under the leaf letter or hidden inside a hollow log. To do fungus you need cool moist days usualy early spring and fall and you need to walk slowly peering under all kinds of things.
That happened to me one time when I visited a gorge. in the middle of the forest I found a scene under a log that was like something out of a Disney cartoon. I just had to capture that image. I set up my macro tripod (one that goes flat on the ground), then I set up the camera and I scattered a few mirrors about to get light into that dark place. I messed about for a good half hour concentrating on what I was doing. Ony my subject existed for me. Finally, after that half hour or so with me lying in the mud beside that log I was ready to do the picture. I pressed my cable release, advanced the camera, pressed it again etc. Finally, having gotten my images now, I finally lifted myself from the ground and kneeled there to take everything apart when I happened to look about. It seems I had drawn a crowd. I don't know where they came from but there were about fifty people standing in rapt fascination at what I was doing.
Kneeling now I was clearly finished so a few bold kids came forward to ask what I was doing. So I let them peek through the view finder. Then their parents wanted a turn. It was another half hour before I could finally take the gear apart and move on.
It seems that if you're waking around with a phone no one cares what you do with it. But set up a tripod, put a big complex camera on it and start crawling in the mud and people seem to feel you must be a professional which then encourages them to stand and watch.
Here is that shot ... It's a bit fuzzy but then it was initially an ASA 25 Kodachrome slide that I subsequently also scanned and then downsized for sending out by email. The original looks a lot better. But this one illustrates the product of that hour.
Dec 13, 2016 17:17:53 #
A great story to go with a lovely image.
I was also out in the woods photographing mosses and a passing stranger gave me a half hour 'lecture' on the various species that he had seen in the wood we were in. Not a lecturer, just an interested guy that had read up on what he had seen.
Photography seems to particularly pique peoples interest. Having the LED on the back of the camera also helps to 'show' what you were doing! I was photographing bluebells and tried to explain to a couple of people that getting low increases the 'blueness' of the scene..unfortunately the Mum and Daughter didn't speak English! Two shots of the same scene 'showing' the difference explained it 'without words'. Its nice when you can 'make someone's day'.
Have fun
I was also out in the woods photographing mosses and a passing stranger gave me a half hour 'lecture' on the various species that he had seen in the wood we were in. Not a lecturer, just an interested guy that had read up on what he had seen.
Photography seems to particularly pique peoples interest. Having the LED on the back of the camera also helps to 'show' what you were doing! I was photographing bluebells and tried to explain to a couple of people that getting low increases the 'blueness' of the scene..unfortunately the Mum and Daughter didn't speak English! Two shots of the same scene 'showing' the difference explained it 'without words'. Its nice when you can 'make someone's day'.
Have fun
Dec 13, 2016 21:43:41 #
As this is not 1:1 magnification, this image is more appropriate for the Close-Up Photography section.
Dec 14, 2016 13:49:33 #
Bugfan
Loc: Toronto, Canada
That picture was done forty eight years ago with Kodachrome 25. I remember the film because that's what I used for years. However I do not remember what I used other than to say I had my bellows mounted on the tripod and of course I used a cable release. At the time I never dreamed that I would have to be specific about where my picture belonged so I didn't measure the size of the subjects and I can't remember what size they were other than to say they were quite tiny. In fact I still don't carry a ruler in my pocket to measure my subjects to determine whether I have true one to one or perhaps only close up or even worse.
My intent in posting this discussion was to share a moment in my own photographic life and to share a picture I was quite proud of. I'm sorry that this is not as important as placing the posting into the correct category. I didn't realize that this was far more important than the content of the posting. You're probably right that it's not one to one but I challenge your conclusion that it is close up, I wasn't close at all, it was a good meter away from me as I recall.
My intent in posting this discussion was to share a moment in my own photographic life and to share a picture I was quite proud of. I'm sorry that this is not as important as placing the posting into the correct category. I didn't realize that this was far more important than the content of the posting. You're probably right that it's not one to one but I challenge your conclusion that it is close up, I wasn't close at all, it was a good meter away from me as I recall.
Dec 14, 2016 15:26:16 #
Bugfan wrote:
That picture was done forty eight years ago with Kodachrome 25.our conclusion that it is close up, I wasn't close at all, it was a good meter away from me as I recall.
Bugfan It was 1:1 You posted ....I replied....That was 1:1 till the other guy got close up.
Have fun
Dec 14, 2016 16:43:23 #
We'll gladly take your images, Bugfan, and I look forward to seeing more. Beautiful colors and textures.
Dec 14, 2016 18:42:58 #
Bugfan
Loc: Toronto, Canada
Sorry Folks! I don't usually react to criticism even when it's not constructive. However this one stunned me. I've shared many images in many forums. People usually take an interest in how it was done, what I learned from it and how it could be improved. No one has ever nit picked whether it was a 1:1, 1:2, 1.871654 or whatever image or a close up image. People's interest has always been the perspectives we've shared and the quality of the image. I have neither the time or the patience to now start getting into all the math about what specific category the posting belongs to. I prefer to take that time and share more thoughts and images. I can well imagine our admin wandering into an art gallery complaining that some paintings belong in a different room because they are too big or too small or some other irrelevant judgement. Perhaps that's where they should be spending their lives.
So that's what's got my goat. It seems the administration does not care about the quality of the content, they care instead that the content be placed in the correct category. How that is supposed to be of benefit to our members is a mystery to me. But I also don't have the time and the patience to argue about this, it's not worth the emotion, it's a hell of a lot simpler to just stop posting and direct that new found time and energy to a forum that feels content is more important than being in the correct category.
You will continue to find me in the general photography forum in future. In there people seem more interested in what I have to share, at least none of the postings have ever been moved from there. Maybe I'll post a few pictures there later but with Christmas coming it will likely be much later. At the same time, if I start getting hassled there too and find my postings being moved around, I`ll leave completely. Since the general forum is not generaly for detailed specialized discussion by the way, whatever I post will be general only. If you have any specific interests or needs, you are welcome to write me a private message instead and I`ll try to give you a detailed answer.
So that's what's got my goat. It seems the administration does not care about the quality of the content, they care instead that the content be placed in the correct category. How that is supposed to be of benefit to our members is a mystery to me. But I also don't have the time and the patience to argue about this, it's not worth the emotion, it's a hell of a lot simpler to just stop posting and direct that new found time and energy to a forum that feels content is more important than being in the correct category.
You will continue to find me in the general photography forum in future. In there people seem more interested in what I have to share, at least none of the postings have ever been moved from there. Maybe I'll post a few pictures there later but with Christmas coming it will likely be much later. At the same time, if I start getting hassled there too and find my postings being moved around, I`ll leave completely. Since the general forum is not generaly for detailed specialized discussion by the way, whatever I post will be general only. If you have any specific interests or needs, you are welcome to write me a private message instead and I`ll try to give you a detailed answer.
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