Unknown Pluteaceae for ID please

[Nettle Runner]

Leif, here is an image taken without the flash. In retrospect, I think it was unnecessary to have used the flash, as the image is quite acceptable.

Love 15 to John:

Les

[FungiJohn]

Originally Posted by Nettle Runner

Leif, here is an image taken without the flash. In retrospect, I think it was unnecessary to have used the flash, as the image is quite acceptable.

Love 15 to John:

Les

That's a cracking image Les
John

[Leif]

Originally Posted by Nettle Runner

Leif, here is an image taken without the flash. In retrospect, I think it was unnecessary to have used the flash, as the image is quite acceptable.

The exposures are so different it is impossible to judge.

And I don't know what the love 15 nonsense is all about. I am curious why John thinks fill flash is unsuitable for some fungi as I have had no problems. And I am not sure why he tries to intimidate/bully me with a silly comment about having 35 years of experience.

I sometimes take images with and without fill flash and I always pick the ones with flash. For example:



There is just enough fill flash to 'lift' the image. -2 stops is about right to create a natural look. In fact most people would not realise flash had been used.

The only case where flash is not good IMO is for some insects such as dragonflies, where flash creates hexagonal highlights on the eyes, and IMO it looks ugly, especially with multiple flash units.

[Fungus Ken]

Compared with my photography both Leif and John's photos are on another level altogether. I'm just happy to capture an image which shows the important features but if I use flash you can tell from the image.

I wouldn't have known that Leif's image of Mycena inclinata was taken with flash and it looks excellent to me.

I think for those of us with limited skills (and limited patience for getting just the right shot) John's comments are no doubt true. I generally get better quality images without flash, but sometimes I can't be bothered with setting up the tripod for a long exposure and flash is the quick way of capturing the essential features.

But with the right technique it's quite clear from Leif's shots that you can achieve the highest quality of image with fill-in flash. I have found myself frustrated on occasions when reviewing my own images taken without flash because I can't make adequate software adjustments to the image where the contrast between shadows and light patches is too great. That's when I think properly judged fill-in flash would have helped me. (Not that I would have a clue how to achieve this.)

No doubt it is also possible to get the right shot without flash if you have time on your hands, but personally I never do these days.

Ken

[flaxton]

Well said Ken. I couldn't agree more.
Any good photos I manage to take are much more down to good luck rather than skill. If they show the salient features excellent if they are also "artistically" acceptable even better.

Whenever I use flash (usually by mistake) it totally changes the colour of the image but I do often end up with a poor quality photo because I didn't have or take the time to do the job properly. I must try this fill in flash if you can get results like Leif's Mycena

Mal

[Leif]

I should have mentioned that John's pictures are excellent, which is why his opinion is of interest to me.

Ken: I know what you mean about needing patience. It does take a long time to set up a picture. Incidentally, regarding high contrast, I find that direct sunlight, is not good, and overcast conditions are the bees knees, or the gnat's nadgers. If I cannot wait for clouds, I use a collapsible translucent screen. You might find foil reflectors useful too. I don't know about John, but it took me a long time to figure out how to get acceptable images of fungi.

[FungiJohn]

Hi Leif

I read your post late last night and was out all day today at Clumber so could only now reply proper to you.

I included my photographic experience merely to demonstrate that I was familiar with lighting and flash and that it wasn’t just down to the particular cameras I own at present.

It certainly was not my intention to intimidate or bully you and if it came over as such I sincerely apologise.

Maybe If I explain in more detail my reason for not using flash very often it may help in allowing us to put this behind us and continue hopefully as good friends.

When I set out to photograph any fungi I take great care in trying to reproduce what I see at that moment in time.

I’m sure you will agree it is very rare that the lighting is adequate for all aspects of the subject. More often than not, detail is often lacking in areas such as gills and areas where shadows are cast by other fruiting bodies. Quite often too, harsh incident light catching stems and cap can be a disadvantage.

The above characteristics to me are perfectly natural, it’s what you see and it has become my style of photography.

It does have its drawbacks however, which is why I often include an upturned fruit body in order to capture gill / stipe information.

I don’t expect other people to do the same and I fully respect others for doing it differently OR their own way, after all we all view things slightly differently.

I hope I did make it quite clear in my replies that this is the method I use and in my guide I state at the very beginning that ‘It is based on very general macro photography techniques and my own experience over the years’ I also say in my ‘Flash Conclusion’ ‘By experimenting with both natural available light and flash on fungi you will come to your own conclusions. Much depends on your own camera / flash capability.’

The guide, remember is for the majority of members / readers who do not have or wish to have a greater knowledge of photography or have the luxury of owning expensive equipment. I was going to do an advanced version including corrective image manipulation but simply don’t have the time.

In summary I would always advise the average photographer not to use flash if they can avoid it. However, flash is a very useful and advantageous technique when used correctly. Your attached image is excellent proof.

It’s never easy to fully explain what you really wish to say when using ‘electronic talk’ and I’m quite sure if we met and chatted about photography we would both benefit from each others experience .. it would also be fun too I imagine!

I do hope this reply has helped and I apologise again if you were offended in any way.

PS Just reading your last thread ... I can honestly say that my initial attempts of fungi photography were terrible. Just look at the red blob in the guide for a good example

Best Wishes - John

[Leif]

Thanks John and there's no need to apologise. From your comments, it sounds like it is not only me who, initially anyway, found fungi very hard to photograph. In fact with slide film my hit rate was not very high, mainly due to colour casts.

[flaxton]

Originally Posted by flaxton

Well said Ken. I couldn't agree more.
Any good photos I manage to take are much more down to good luck rather than skill. If they show the salient features excellent if they are also "artistically" acceptable even better.

Whenever I use flash (usually by mistake) it totally changes the colour of the image but I do often end up with a poor quality photo because I didn't have or take the time to do the job properly. I must try this fill in flash if you can get results like Leif's Mycena

Mal

Not quite up to Leif's standard but my first attempt is a big improvement using "fill in flash"



and after


Mal

[Nettle Runner]

I like it, Mal.
It is worth experimenting.
Les