Magic mushroom photography project

Fungi to me are more than just organisms. I love the folklore and mythology that goes with fungi. When I come across them, especially in a woodland lots of different thoughts come into my head. Firstly the enchantment side like faeries, elves and children's fairy tales. Then the hallucinogenic and psychedelic side to poisonous mushrooms. I knew that when I chose fungi I would be able to bring a lot of what I am interested in and therefore would bring about a lot of emotion within myself. I wanted to show in my images how I see the fungal kingdom. There are many really good, straightforward shots of fungus so I wanted to be able to experiment more by using different camera techniques and Photoshop. This also reflects more what message I am trying to get across to the viewer.


Light out of the darkness
In fairy tales there is always good and evil. I wanted to display the lucid contrast between these two bi-polar elements so prevalent within myth and folklore by using one of my most fundamental of tools, the flash. 

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Victorian fairy painting
Like myself the Victorians filled their hearts and imaginations with the enchanting possibilities of what might be fleeting from tree to tree in shaded thicket or nestling behind a quivering fern. Within Victorian artwork the relationship between toadstools and fairies is almost symbiotic, in a sense the mushroom becoming synonymous with the sprite. Immediately after spotting the clusters of tiny bulbous heads and frail pallid bodies struck me as taking on the appearance of a petite community, peeking out from mossy nook and cranny. I accentuated the sense of mysticism within the shot by adding an almost ethereal aura around fungi. In an affectionate pastiche of the classical Victorian images of faeries I added an orange tint, both ageing the photograph and supplying a sense of warmth to the image.

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A burst of mushroom magic
When walking through the woodland the vivid burst of colour radiating from these mushrooms was almost impossible to miss. I had to capture that initial, somewhat, disorientating rush of vibrant yellow orange that was in such contrast to the dreary, muddy browns and greens of the autumnal woodland backdrop. Using the zoom burst function on my camera I knew I'd be able to translate the intensity I experienced onto film.

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Psychedelic mushrooms
Some mushrooms are poisonous and if consumed produce hallucinogenic effects altering the perceptions of the user. I wanted this image to convey the deceptive side of the mushroom, in a sense capture the essence of the 60's psychedelic movement or tap in to what Alice (in wonderland) may have experienced when eating the infamous "magic mushroom" 

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Enchanted toadstool fairy
For me this was one of the most endearing fungi I came across, solemn and solitary peeking out from within the rich emerald moss. I really wanted to keep this shot simple to offset grand off-focus background with the enchanting fragility of the tiny mushroom.

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Magic fairy mushrooms
Again this photograph was aimed to show the more sinister side to the humble fungi. This time I used the zoom burst to bring about a purposefully unsettling picture provoking sensations of delirium and sensory turmoil. In contrast to this ill at ease scene what in fact emerges is a quite a beautiful image of fairy like figures bursting forth from the chaotic swirls. Another testament to the yin and yang like nature of mushroom folklore.

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