Fungus Macro for the senses with David Hearne

Words by David Hearne
Edited by Eryka Bagwell

"I shot this unknown Fungus in Western NC, USA. This final capture was a blend of two photos stacked together (15) with and without light underneath. OM-1, 12-40 Pro at 22mm, f8, 1/5s, ISO 320. I found this fungus knocked over while on a nature walk so, I carefully collected it and brought it into my “macro studio” to take a few shots. This was the Maiden Voyage (so to speak), of my Platypod Handle which enabled the correct height that I needed."

The Setup:
"I used two LED cubes through some DIY diffusers that I created along with two Goosenecks, two mini super clamps, one Platypod Ultra, one Platypod Max, a Platyball Elite, Platypod disc and finally a Platypod Handle. The LED cubes were staged on mini tripods which I purchased from Amazon. I then adjusted the height by lab scissor platforms. The bottom line is that my Platypod equipment allows me to have a very flexible and quickly adjusted setup."

"As for the inspiration for the mushroom, I follow several macro photographers, one of which includes (Platypod Pro) Stewart Wood. Last fall, Stewart published a YouTube video on 'Glowing Mushrooms'. I had been waiting for the right opportunity to do my own version. Until this little fungus crossed my walking path."

"For my photography in general, I'm primarily inspired by nature and 19th century painters (especially the Hudson River School painters). Ian Plant’s landscape work has also been very influential and inspiring to me. As I have slowly entered (and integrated) into macro work, two photographers have been especially influential - Platypod Pros Mike Moats and Don Komarechka."

You can view more of David Hearne's work by visiting his Flickr or his Website.

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