Thin Ice

Thin Ice 2317_2859_2866

I had looked for mushrooms that morning and found some.  They were covered with snow and I could not brush it off sufficiently.  I was headed home without an image when I passed the vernal pool and glanced at this.

Actually, I glanced at this.

Thin Ice 2317_2858

I was struck by the curves in the ice.  I set up the tripod and made the focus stack seen at the top.

Thin Ice 2317_2859_2866

After making the captures at the top, Thin Ice 2317_2859_2866, I noticed that the goldenrod in the foreground had moved ever so slightly.  I thought that movement might be problematic in the processed focus stack so I tried to groom it out before making these captures.  I somehow moved something which broke the ice.  I was about to scrub this series but decided to go ahead anyway.  In the end, I liked one at the top the best, even with the movement in the goldenrod.  The light, in my opinion, supports the whole idea the best.

This blog is meant to be a journal of my experiences, what goes through my mind, what I see.  It is predicated on the idea of Larry's Images.  I am putting it out there for anyone who is interested.  I try to record the evolution of my thinking as "work" a subject.  I try to share the things I learn for anyone.  It is "unedited" in the sense that I show images which I would not show at the museum.

I am a late comer to "serious" photography.  I certainly have not intentionally compromised Photography as an art.  To quote George Lepp, "I think that the mass distribution of unedited images (often accompanied by self-praise thinly disguised as instruction in the form of unedited blogs) is what drives the idea that photography as an art has been compromised by the digital age."  I am a simple person.  If I have done this, it has not been intentional.  I don't know if I have.  I know that when I read the statement in George's Techtips column in Outdoor Photographer, December 2014 issue, it stung.

I get under pressure to produce images for an everyday blog.  I think that I would like to step back a little and think about this.  If you miss me, know that I have done so.

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Unknown Mushroom

Unknown Mushroom

The margin seems to be scalloped and it has four scallops.  It is tiny, 3/8 inch.

Unknown Mushroom

The gills, as you can see are widely set.

The log upon which I found it was dead with bark partially decorticated, removed.

Log End

From examining the grain in this log and the bark, below, I think it might be a Black Maple.

Log Bark

Log

Dead Tree Base

I think that the tree was killed by lightning.

Dead Tree Standing

I found a nice site for identifying mushrooms while searching for the identity of the mushroom.  It did not identify my mushroom, however.  I think that part of the problem was that the body was not fruiting and I was therefore, unable to obtain a spore print.  Any help, on your part, would be greatly appreciated.

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Mushroom Coral

Mushroom Coral

While on the subject of mushrooms, I thought that I would rephotograph my piece of Mushroom Coral.

This is the home of, in most cases, a single polyp, which emerges at night to feed.  They can move around.  They can change sexes, when circumstances require them to. 

Mushroom Coral

I am unsure whether I can see the position of the polyp or not.

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Store Mushrooms

Crimini Mushroom

This Crimini mushroom came from the grocery.  It is much different in the cap color and size.  It is otherwise similar to the White mushroom to be shown later.

Crimini Mushroom

It has a veil covering the gills.  Eventually it would pull loose to allow fruiting.  This mushroom is harvested before fruiting.

Crimini Mushroom

As it matures, the gills will enlarge while the veil will mostly go away.

White Mushroom

I found out that the Crimini and White Mushrooms are cousins.  Except for the size and cap color they appear identical to me.

White Mushroom

This mushroom is also harvested early in its life cycle while the veil is still in tact.

White Mushroom

The story inside is similar.  You can see the gills, only starting to develop.  Both mushrooms are fleshy, i.e., they have lots of mushroom matter under the cap, making them ideal to eat.

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Oyster Mushroom Addendum

Oyster Mushrooms

The cluster looked differently after I harvested the mature mushrooms.  I mistakenly made this image one and 1/2 stops over exposed.  I liked the result and decided to show it.

Oyster Mushrooms

I think they were too crowded and that is why they did not attain the size of the others.  I decided they would not grow further and harvested what you see.  

I fried them in cracker crumbs and butter.  Their flavor reminded me of the mushrooms, "sponge and snake head", we used to find in the "woods" back on the farm.

Oyster Mushroom Spore Print

I got a nice spore print from the first mushroom I harvested.

Oyster Mushroom Spores at 40X

Oyster Mushroom Spores at 400X

I have been trying to make permanent slides without success so far.  I used Canada Balsam which is touted as the best sealant by many but it dissolved all the spores upon contact.  The cover slip was secure, however.

I am starting to think that I might not need permanent slides as long as I make captures like these.

 

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Camera Setups

Camera Setup Oyster Mushrooms

This is the next to the last shoot of the Oyster Mushroom.  It was used for the image below.

Oyster mushrooms

Camera Setup for Oyster Mushrooms

I felt the need for frontal light from below to show stem details.  It was used for the image below.

Oyster Mushrooms

The next image is one where I created a backdrop using the bokeh of the lens.  I did this using the same light setup but dialing down shutter speed so that ambient light made the affect shown.

Oyster Mushrooms

The slower shutter speed added 4.5 stops of ambient light but retained enough light under the caps to show detail.

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