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129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

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rsub8
 
Posts: 874

129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:56 pm


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I found it a bit difficult and daunting to “judge” the photographs of photographers way more accomplished (based on looking in the galleries) than I, and hopefully my perspective from a background with no formal training or education in art or photography won’t be that limiting... but I would like to comment on some of what I thought were interesting images, as well as the winners. And a big thanks to everyone who participated!

luxun54:
Image
The color contrast and the almost monochromatic forest duff at the bottom makes for a nice composition featuring what looks like a mushroom from the genus Hygrocybe (the “waxy caps”).

Titia Geertman:
Image
Liked this pretty shot of a Suillus americanus (“chicken fat suillus” is the common name here, but I doubt that the species name is the same in the Netherlands)?

karlc:
Image
Interesting POV, reminded me of that old television show, Land of the Giants... the sense of scale is highly distorted, almost surreal. The pinkish-orange coloration of these Russula mushrooms adds a lot of interest.

Flo Hendry:
Image
Nice, playful composition and use of color.

Aaron Zeitler:
Image
The moist appearance of this mushroom (looks like Cortinarius iodes), alongside the moss was very appealing.

McGarva:
Image
Great POV and composition, and some beautiful mushrooms (appear to be some purple Russulas).

Jeroen Bosman:
Image
Nice composition, nice lighting, good choice of "frame," and nice specimens (though, if I may say so, I don’t quite agree with your ID... the blood-foot mycena, Mycena haematopus or sanguinolenta is much smaller and has a delicate, fragile, translucent, thin stem and striations on the cap, whereas the specimens in your image are more robust and larger (based on the size of the grass blades) than typical mycenas (see http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/jun2002.html or http://home.online.no/~araronse/Mycenak ... atopus.htm or http://www.pbase.com/rsub8/image/115715063); would need to see the specimens, to tell what they are...

Owen Wong:
Image
Image
Both very, very pretty studies of Agaricus, nice use of lensbaby for the first one, and nice use of shapes and lines in the second. I initially had a bit of a hard time finding the originals (not linked) but it was nice making a side trip to your interesting galleries. Check out the “info regarding Show & Tell Contests” thread for help on how to link the images, it’s not that hard once you get the hang of it, Owen.


Following are the winners. I consider the second and third place images to be tied for second; it was very difficult to decide which to put into which slot. Though the photographic styles of those images aren’t something that I would try myself, because I tend not to like “processed” or artificial appearing images, here, I found them to be unusual, graphic and very appealing.

Colin Bainbridge:
Image
Fourth place. Beautiful pastel colors of what appear to be cultivated mushrooms, quite a lovely image!

Markus Grompe:
Image
Third place. I just loved the symmetry of this well balanced composition that draws you in, and the image processing was nicely done. Almost like a painting. I think the image is more interesting than seeing the mushrooms as they would actually appear, even the original subject in the woods. Stunning, very well done, and I think this would look great framed and hanging on a wall!

Peter Stubley:
Image
Second place. Really nice and unusual use of lighting and contrast for this type of subject, and the water drop adds an important element of interest. It almost looks like a black and white negative, because of the direction of the lighting, and the image could even be more interesting inverted to negative (I tried it, and liked it, and I think the result would turn any mycologist’s head).

Jeroen Bosman:
Image
First place for this strikingly beautiful image. The use of depth of field for the close-up was well done, and the point of view also good... and the sharpness (where in focus) even nicely resolved the details of the warts. The blades of grass provided a nice color contrast and tied the composition together. It also helped to have a great specimen of Amanita muscaria (fly agaric). The colors of the reduced-size versions of the original image are undersaturated, and I wouldn't have liked this nearly as much had I not also seen the original. I'd recommend that everyone check out the original (linked to the image above); these mushrooms really are that vividly colored (although the version common in America, Amanita muscaria var. formosa tends to be yellow to orange-red rather than that amazing vivid red).

I notice that this is now the third contest you’ve won, Jeroen... jamais deux sans trois, I suppose? And so it’s your turn (again)! Congratulations...

-Rob

kirstenmary
 
Posts: 512

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:01 pm


Great choices, Rob!!! And thank you so much for taking the time to make comments about your choices. I didn't enter this contest, but I watch each and every one of them, and sometimes when I see a winning shot, I immediately agree with the host - but other times, I think, "What in the heck was that host thinking?????" :lol:

Your insight has made this contest all that more enjoyable. Bravo to you!!!!

And congrats to the winners! Great photos! (I agree with Rob, really, I do, lol!)

andrewd_za
 
Posts: 121

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:09 pm


Same comments as KirstenMary from me. Found your comments very interesting and considered. Well done to those who entered and the winners...

pstubley
 
Posts: 217

129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Wed Aug 12, 2009 1:04 pm


Thanks for the second place, Rob, and for taking the time to make some good comments.

So everyone could see and decide for themselves, I did make and post an inverted version. I think I still prefer the original, but I may still be affected by my original vision ;)

After looking at it a bit more, I think I prefer the original because its brightest areas are also the sharpest (as I intended when I shot it). In this inverted version, the darker areas are now the sharper ones and now the compositional elements are conflicting: bright is not sharp in the negative version, but bright and sharp are in the same place in the original.

Still a great suggestion, and it definitely made me think about the image and its composition in a different way.

Thanks again!

Peter


hiero
 
Posts: 329

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Wed Aug 12, 2009 9:40 pm


Thanks so much Rob for picking my image to be the winner in such a strong field! I feel honoured and honoustly did not expect at all to have a chance. I'll lauch a new S&T competition after sleeping over the ideas I have for that.

Cheers all,
Jeroen
Jeroen Bosman, glad to be on Pbase
http://www.pbase.com/hiero

cits_4_pets
 
Posts: 1809
Location: Walnut Creek, CA

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Thu Aug 13, 2009 12:47 am


Thanks for the HM...I think the 1st time I tried selective color...did see some real mushrooms yesterday, (http://www.pbase.com/cits_4_pets/image/116029539)
and shot them only to find the contest had closed! LOL And now the image will not load.... Pbase problem?? I had just cleared cache and cookies because my galleries were getting pass keys assigned to them when adding new photos....
Congrats on your 3rd win Jeroen Bosman, looking forward to the next challenge. (if I can get my images and galleries to function in Firefox...very frustrated right now ... may have to switch back to IE)
Flo
Cits 4 Pets where Happy Pets Go with the Flo
http://www.pbase.com/cits_4_pets/
My Firefox Tthemes/skins for your web browser)

fishit
 
Posts: 797
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Thu Aug 13, 2009 1:52 am


All good captures, not a easy choice. congrats to the winners.

csdesign
 
Posts: 24

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Thu Aug 13, 2009 7:00 pm


Thanks for the fourth prize Rob. I'm just starting to explore the low light capabilities of the Canon 450D so this is very encouraging.

I took the shot handheld, in a dimly lit cave, under artificial light, but the camera made an excellent job of accurately capturing the colours.

ninaludwig
 
Posts: 22

Re: 129th Show & Tell Competition: Fungi - WINNER

Post Tue Aug 18, 2009 10:03 pm


I've only just come accross this post, what a fabulous collection of images. Well done everyone!


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