Helvella under hazelnut tree

[mfilippa]

Hi NG people,
here an exemple of what I try to give in my scientific photographs of the fungi.
This is Helvella ephippium, a temperate species growing more often under broadleaved trees, in late spring or in autumn. Maybe the correct name for this species is Helvella sublicia but some authors does not agree so I use the most common name.
There are a lot of misidentifications in the pictures you can find searching this name on the Internet. One reason for that is the large variation in size and shape that every specimen shows during his lifetime.

[mfilippa]

Maybe this image feels a little crowded, but the aim was to show every aspect of the fungus and so I'm rather happy with the shot.
The smaller ones have a bilobate shape, somewhat like a close mouth. Then they become cup-shaped with a short stalk. Afterwards the stalk become longer and stouter and the "head" (better called apothecium) become saddle-shaped, and in the end bilobate-compressed towards the stalk.
The problem is when you only find one or two... Not always easy to identify if you don't know the species well enough.
The hazelnut in the background is a trick to better understand both the habitat and the size of the subjects.
Shot with Micro Nikkor AF 60 D at f/22, 1/3 sec.

[Birna Rørslett]

Have you tried focus stacking? Fungi are stationary so should be ideal subjects for this approach. You would likely get improved detail sharpness too. f/22 for close-ups means a lot of diffraction.

[ARTUROARTISTA]

Maybe this image feels a little crowded, but the aim was to show every aspect of the fungus and so I'm rather happy with the shot.
The smaller ones have a bilobate shape, somewhat like a close mouth. Then they become cup-shaped with a short stalk. Afterwards the stalk become longer and stouter and the "head" (better called apothecium) become saddle-shaped, and in the end bilobate-compressed towards the stalk.
The problem is when you only find one or two... Not always easy to identify if you don't know the species well enough.
The hazelnut in the background is a trick to better understand both the habitat and the size of the subjects.
Shot with Micro Nikkor AF 60 D at f/22, 1/3 sec.

you get a lovely scene with a practical purpose of an erudite and scientific nature,

[mfilippa]

Thank you for your opinions.
I often use focus stacking for laboratory work in super macro, but never tried it in the field. I will do in the future, thank you.
I am perfectly aware of the diffraction, and from time to time I try shots with wider aperture... But in this particular kind of imaging depth of field is very important. So when it comes to choose the best image between the shots, I always tend to pick the one with f/22 or f/16... despite of a certain loss of detail! And focus stacking would be a solution.
 

[ColinM]

Thanks Mario
I love seeing pictures of funghi, so would like to see some more of yours

[Ian Watson]

A belated welcome to NikonGear, Mario! I like this photograph. It is busy without being crowded. The hazelnut is a nice touch to provide scale without being distracting.

[John Geerts]

Thanks Mario
I love seeing pictures of funghi, so would like to see some more of yours

Agree.  Beautiful.

[mfilippa]

Thank you, I will post some other.
"busy without being crowded" is very nice...