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Dead or Alive


Dead or Alive
Photo Information
Copyright: Japie Venter (japie) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-11-26
Categories: Fungi
Camera: Canon EOS 300D, Tamron 28-300XR, Digital ISO 100, Skylight
Details: (Fill) Flash: Yes
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Flowers, plants and fungi of Southern Africa, Mushrooms [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-11-28 6:20
Viewed: 1715
Points: 26
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I took this shot in a small forest close to my dad’s house in Somerset West. We went for a stroll in the woods and of course the camera went with. My father spotted this one and the camera came out for some shots. I had to build a support structure using bark and twigs as I used small apertures and long exposures for this.

Some small worm was making a meal of this mushroom and I did a small insert showing him eating away.

Now for the ID! Easier said than done. Fortunately Callie had the forward vision to get a book from the library and loaned it to me a couple of weeks ago (thanks Callie). This made life a bit easier. I am now torn between two id’s, one marked as “Deadly Poisonous” and the other as “Edible”. Needless to say that I will not be picking any mushrooms for cooking!

The ID that seems the closest is the “Deadly Poisonous” one and it is Amanita phalloides var. unmbrina. The cap can be 50 to 150mm – this particular one was around 80mm.

Please help me if the ID is wrong as I know even less about fungi than about space travel.

What made this shot more difficult is that the afternoon sun was shining on parts of it, so the contrast levels were high, but also adding a bit of mood to it.

The camera settings:
Program Setting: Manual
Focal Length: 84mm
F Stop: F/32
Shutter Speed: 2.5 sec
ISO: 100
Tripod: No
Flash: Diffused Off Camera TTL
Reflective Panel: No
Cable release: Yes
RAP, Robbrown, Callie, red45, Luc, willie, AdrianW, PDP, miqra has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Callie: poison+poison=safejapie 3 11-28 12:49
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-11-28 6:25]

Domingo... relax mi amigo.
Una bella imagen de un hongo en este caso, en realidad con otros invitados a la fiesta :-)
Bella composicion con excelente manejo de la iluminación con agradable tonos y buena agudeza.
La foto pequeña muestra otra perspectiva de la escena.
Me gusta.

Sunday... relax my friend.
A beautiful image of a fungus in this case, in fact with other guests to the party :-)
Pretty composition with excellent handling of the illumination with pleasant tones and good sharpness.
The small photo show another perspective of the scene.
I like me.

Very good Japie like the worm eating it , funnily enough i have one that looks very simular on a bracket fungus.
the fungus is very detailed and well seen TFS.

Hi Japie, very nice, everything here. To me, this looks like a millipede - duisendpoot - and they are poisonous also to a certian extent, thus, poison vs poison is safe, methinks. Mooi gedoen

  • Great 
  • red45 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2705 W: 74 N: 8864] (30243)
  • [2004-11-28 9:30]

Very detailed picture of this fungi and worm with beautiful, autumnly colours. Alsa light is ideal for this kind of scene. Good work Japie!

  • Great 
  • willie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1023 W: 61 N: 648] (2083)
  • [2004-11-28 12:10]

Good fungi shot and a worn to boot. Next time I go to the supermarket I'll be looking for those little indentations on the top of mushrooms for sure before I buy.
Good post

Japie, Ek is bly om te sien jy kan dit net so goed doen.

Excellent capture, the bug is a bonus. Lot's of details.

Die lens... ek is in die hemel! :)

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2004-11-28 17:54]

Very nice Japie, Excellent composition and colours. The millipede on top is great.

Very nice Japie.
Excellent composition and colours.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • IdoTT Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 210 W: 19 N: 86] (482)
  • [2004-11-29 14:37]

Lovley picture!
Great comp!

A BIG welcome to fungi world. And you arrive with a very interesting post. I suppose you left your baby on the ground to get this 2,5 sec shot without tripod. Nice POV and complete description with the top view. Hope to see more fungus from Africa soon!! Thanks Japie.

  • Great 
  • Luc Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1873 W: 304 N: 4300] (14729)
  • [2004-11-30 3:41]

Thank you for this class of botany, Japie. The time passed by too fast. I anticipate the next one with impatience.

nice shot, japie!
very good composition, looks like the little one is taking shelter!
the worm is a nice detail, colours are good and details are too.well done!

  • Great 
  • miqra Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Note Writer [C: 140 W: 3 N: 23] (151)
  • [2004-12-01 13:12]

aaaaaaa....so thats where the dots on the mushroom comes from (smile)
Excellent shot Japie you're a pro indeed

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