Mushrooms without a macro lens, plus a few extra tips

Monday 23 October 2023, 20:02 by Nando Harmsen | 7,573 views | 6 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Photographing mushrooms is a fun thing to do. It is ideal if you use a macro lens for it. You can then get close without any problems until the image is 1:1. Don't have a macro lens? That doesn't have to be a problem.

Did you know that you don't always need 1:1 magnification for mushrooms? With this magnification, your subject is shown on the sensor at its actual size. This means that a mushroom 3 cm tall will no longer fit in the photo at 1:1 magnification.

Mushrooms can grow large, very large indeed. This was photographed with a 15mm fisheye lens.
In other words, unless you have very small mushrooms, or only want to capture details, 1:1 magnification isn't necessary. Choose a standard zoom lens and you'll already get a long way. It then becomes possible to take fantastic 'mushroom in its surroundings' photos.

A mushroom in the evening light, photographed with a 135mm focal length
Preferably use slightly longer focal lengths. This can be up to 200mm, as long as you can keep enough distance. A long focal length makes it possible to keep the background out of focus. The mushroom then stands out nicely from its surroundings.

A longer focal length can give you beautiful background blur. The longer your focal length, the stronger the effect becomes. As long as your background is far away. This was photographed with a 173mm focal length, from a distance of 6.5 metres.
Do you still want the mushroom to appear larger than is possible with the lens you are using? Crop in post-processing. Or use an extension tube. The advantage is that you can not only photograph from closer up, the background often becomes even more blurred.

This was photographed with a 135mm focal length and a 25mm extension tube. This lets you get closer, achieve greater magnification and create more background blur.
You can use an extension tube with virtually any lens. It can be a zoom lens or a telephoto lens. It can be used on a standard zoom or a telephoto zoom. It may even work with a wide-angle lens, although you may then have to get too close.

Keep in mind that with an extension tube, you can no longer focus to infinity. That is the consequence. Since the mushrooms you are photographing are close by anyway, this is not a problem.

A few extra tips

I have a few more tips for when you photograph mushrooms. They are simple things that make your photo a little more special than a straightforward shot. I have put the tips below the example photos. Give them a try.

Preferably take a gnome's-eye view, low to the ground. If possible, you can even photograph upwards. You can use a small mirror if necessary. This was photographed with a smartphone and a separate lamp.

Use the light through branches and leaves in the background. You may get bokeh balls if your aperture is wide enough. This was photographed at 100mm and f/2.8.

Use accessories such as a flash and a plant mister, a small mirror, or even foil or crepe paper. These are water droplets from a plant mister, photographed at 135mm with a 25mm extension tube and a flash.

Remove distracting elements and tidy up your scene. Don't damage anything, though, leave nature intact. This was photographed with a 200mm focal length.

Photograph through a foreground for extra atmosphere. Grass and leaves can work well, together with the shallowest depth of field available to you. This was photographed at 153mm with a 25mm extension tube.

Also try using a proper wide-angle lens. It gives a very different perspective. Do get very close to the mushroom, as close as you can. Photographed with a 17mm wide-angle lens from a distance of 26cm.

Special species don't make special photos. Unless you make something special of them. You see ordinary species more often, which gives you more opportunities to create a suitable scene or composition. This was photographed with a 35mm focal length.

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About the author

Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.

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6 comments

guest wrote on Monday 23 October 2023 at 20:04 | reply
Certainly an interesting explanation. I've been a satisfied member of Potofacts Academy for years.
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 25 October 2023 at 10:22 | reply
That is beautiful.
Translated from Dutch.

A.M. van Velsen wrote on Tuesday 24 October 2023 at 14:14 | reply
Beautiful photos and super useful tips Nando
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 25 October 2023 at 10:22 | reply
Take advantage of it.
Hopefully it inspires you to head out this autumn as well and try out things like this.
Translated from Dutch.

'Donald wrote on Tuesday 24 October 2023 at 14:22 | reply
Or use a reversing ring on your standard lens
Translated from Dutch.

Nando wrote on Wednesday 25 October 2023 at 10:21 | reply
That works too, but usually the magnification is then too great to get an entire mushroom in the frame
Translated from Dutch.

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