Lets get Low with Fungi

[@BugBobsWildWorld]

Very nice. I like your informal approach. The fungi are good, but Duke The Tripod Dog is the star of this video!

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Hi Bob. Yep Duke is a wee star. Glad you like the informal approach. I tried scripted stuff and it just doesn’t work for me. It probably shows in my videos but a rarely even have a plan. I want to do more videos like this one but I couldn’t this past growing season due to ill health. Maybe later this year.

[@ChrisSchieritz]

Duke is looking like a proper filmmaker sitting next to the GoPro haha it was great meeting you Alastair!

[@AccessiblePhotography]

You to Chris.

[@odarrien]

Very special dog!!!!!

[@AccessiblePhotography]

That he is. :-)

[@rambling_rambler]

Good vlog. Yep fungi are at their best normally on damp mornings. Usually where there's dead birch trees you'll get Cramp Balls that are around all year. Have to laugh at Duke the director.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

I think Duke was the star of this vlog. Made me laugh a few times on play back.

[@johnnygilroy5213]

The beautiful art works:)

[@ThePosiview]

I had to pause and rewind when your dog popped in carrying your tripod :) Some nice, low POV 'shroom photographs. Good bit of cleaning up there, the odd twig can suin a photograph. Cheers.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Yeah he is a character. Thanks I am glad you enjoyed it. You have an awesome banner picture. Only viewed a minute or two of North Berwick and clicked Subscribe. I will catch up later with your vlogs.

[@CharlesPalmerPhotography]

A very good video, enjoyed your accessible fungi walk/photoshoot 👍

[@jeroengrobben7555]

Just stumbled on your videos. Fantastic, love the dog. Beautiful photos. Hope you are well.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Thanks so much. Sorry not sure how I missed your message. I am doing ok. Duke the Dog is struggling just now though. New meds from the vet today so hopefully he will have a spring in his step again soon. He’s getting old.

[@neklamp2431]

Ha, I want a dog like that! Very nice photos, but that photo of the mushroom group, I wanted it a little bit on the left, to capture the mushroom that was in front of the group. I also liked the creative way of the tripods' legs placement!

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Many thanks. I do actually have an image with that mushroom in focus, but blending the three images was proving a nightmare and to be perfectly honest I spat the dummy and went for the two image merge instead. Yes it would have been better with it in focus and not being cropped partially out.

[@gerdt.7106]

Great video. My tip: To avoid that the camera body is upside down you can use a nodal rail unit ie. "Andoer FNR-140".

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Many thank. I am ordering one right now. Advertising does not show it for this type of use, but I can see clearly how it would work. At the time of filming I didn't have a suitable tripod head,but do now use Arca Swiss heads.

[@gerdt.7106]

@@AccessiblePhotography There are other maker with same design. I use a more longer rail from Mengs called BPL-300 plus a clamp Mengs DB-50. If the Andrer 140 is to short for your purpose you can check out these units. Looking forward to see more great videos from you together with your special camera man :)-

[@forsgren81]

"lets have some fun guys"... 😂 Great video, glad it was recommended to me

[@AccessiblePhotography]

I am delighted someone recommended it. Made my day. 😀

[@Bobcat-1967]

Two tripod legs on the ground and one on a tree trunk, genius! That has made my day.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Lol if it works go with it. 😀

[@skakdosmer]

It’s often a good idea to photograph mushrooms from underneath, so you can see the gills (if there are any). Of course that means you’ll need to get even lower. I’ve seen some photographers dig a little hole in the ground for the camera. You may need to light the underside of the mushrooms with a little daylight coloured lamp. And if you want a more mysterious and fairytale like look, you can light them from behind; some mushrooms are translucent so they can look as if lit from within. Extra tip: You can get a bar for the tripod - like one of the slightly longer Arca swiss plates - to enable the camera to be low and still be right side up.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Hi. Many thanks for watching and for the tips. I get them all except the tripod one. I can't quite visualise what you mean. However that was filmed a couple of years ago and I have been out doing more Fungi. Some of the recent ones are on my Flickr page. I have managed to get underneath a little and I have played with lighting. I tried the glow effect but failed. I will try again next season. Not sure if you can see it, but just in case you have access here is my flicker page. The Fungi are not far down. www.flickr.com/photos/alastair396/

[@skakdosmer]

@@AccessiblePhotography This is what I mean: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z6XTlHuHmbZ5gJY

[@skakdosmer]

The model shown here is quite fancy - there are much simpler versions. These German guys are real macro nerds, and they run a webshop in Hamburg where they sell a lot of good stuff (“traumfliegershop”). I have no difficulty with the German language, but I think they are able to communicate in English. All their videos and books are in German, though.

[@skakdosmer]

@@AccessiblePhotography Thanks for the pictures! I must admit I’ve never yet tried the glow effect myself, but I suspect you will need the right kind of mushrooms.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

@@skakdosmer thanks that helps. My German is rusty but I can follow what they are doing and get the idea. Will watch properly tomorrow. 👌

[@alanmoulsdale6172]

I'm a keen amateur photographer & I love fungi. They make great subjects when conditions are right. Quick tip, keep a bin bag in your kit to lay on the floor, then your knees dont get wet. Great video, you now have a new subscriber! Thanks.

[@bazmac26]

I’m just getting into this topic and enjoying it. Excellent tip about taking a bin bag to keep my old knees dry. Thanks.

[@MikePageKaltenberg]

Nice one, the round white ones with the triangular structures on the surface are puffballs I believe. And I think that the one you describe as a puffball is possibly a baby fly agaric. I definitely need an assistant like yours though. I wasn't so lucky with fungi this year.

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Thanks Mike. I am likely to post another video in a coupe of weeks on Fungi. I have quite a few images taken over the last few weeks. I think the season is over now though.

[@kieranlehane]

Great video mate. Your dog is so well trained

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Thanks Kieran. I will be honest, he isn't trained at all. It's purely his desire to carry things for me. I draw the line at him carrying the camera. 😁

[@honeysucklecat]

You might enjoy using Laowa’s 15mm ultra wide macro. It’s an odd lens but unique and very well made

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Many thanks. I bought a Nikon 105mm macro but its best used at a distance. The 15mm might be better for many fungi shots. I will check it out. Thanks again

[@19Photographer76]

I'm surprised you weren't using Highlight weighted metering. Nice video!

[@AccessiblePhotography]

Ah ha, that's because I didn't know what that was. Somehow I've missed ever hearing / reading about highlight weighted metering. So, thank you so much, I googled and found that the centre weighted icon with the asterisk is highlight weighted. I had seen the icon but hadn't seen a benefit to it. That I now see is because it only comes into its own in post processing of the RAW files. I have said before, "expose for the highlights". I knew to do that and the adjust later. Now I know to use the specific metering mode. So, thank you again.

[@jackpine1033]

Be careful when blowing on fungi. If you are real close to the objects you could inhale some real nasties!