NZPhotographer Issue 35, September 2020

I’m an amateur photographer, originally from the UK, but have lived in
New Zealand for 22 years. After being made redundant as a graphic
designer, I resurrected my interest in photography. A friend had bought
herself her first DSLR, and after watching with interest I too made the
move from a point and shoot to a DSLR. I have nearly finished a diploma
in photography which I’ve been doing online through SIT. I’m also a
member of the Waiuku camera club.
@yorkshire.kiwi
THE HIDDEN FOREST
My four images (part of a series of ten) were captured over a
number of weeks throughout June.
I’ve called my series The Hidden Forest as the fungi, in some cases,
look like small trees themselves. The more you look, the more you
start noticing these little forests of fungi, whether growing on tree
trunks or poking up through the ground litter.
As the forests tend to be dark, and I was having to use slow shutter
speeds, my tripod became an essential piece of equipment for this
series. It was especially useful having a central column which could
reverse, allowing my camera to hang nearer the ground. I also
started carrying around an old travel rug on which to lie while using
the live screen to check my focus and settings.
The white basket fungus was particularly satisfying to capture. I
came across one, which unfortunately had already collapsed. After
poking around in the leaf litter, I discovered two anonymous looking
white nodules. I marked them with a pine cone and returned each
day for two weeks. My patience paid off and I finally got my photo.
September 2020 17