Fairy-tale Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

The Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria is the famous white-spotted red toadstool beloved of children's book illustrators.

They are widely known as one of the few poisonous fungi in the UK, but it is not generally realised that this is because they are in fact strongly psychedelic. Eaten raw, they cause stomach cramps, hallucinations1 and, possibly, death.

In some parts of Europe they have long been associated with magic and legend. In Lapland, reindeer regularly get high on them and are seen to leap around, giving rise to the story of Santa's flying reindeer. Lapps have a custom of deliberately feeding them to their deer, and then collecting and drinking the urine because most of the toxins are filtered out by the reindeer's digestive system.

Yes autumn is starting good now this is my first fairy-tale shot. The camera was laing on the ground and I use a cable for the shot. I hope you like it.
regard jaap

westcoastgirl1, JCG, xavshot, Gerrit, Didi, AROBN54, BWJ, zanzi, feather, phwall, ChrisJ, Budapestman, snunney, rodgerg, jhm, josepmarin, jlbrthnn, bostankorkulugu, Kielia, Cricri, Philippe, ymrk, danos, Cretense, jafadabret, paura, swiatopelk777, papagolf21, BelCan75, MLINES, francio64, belido, gervaso, riclopes, kiks, AiresSantos, jwmunro, Vasa, Wanda1, niphredil76, sevy, leonorkuhn, subhendu_bagchi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

JCG (25291) 2009-10-12 10:15

Hello Jaap,

Very pretty for the photograph but not to put in our plates !!! A very beautiful close-up on these two amanitas. A pleasant photograph to symbolize the autumn, I will feel almost the odor of the underwoods. Pretty glance Jaap, thank you.

With all my friendships and a very good evening,

Jean-Charles

westcoastgirl1 (1159) 2009-10-12 10:16

Hi Jaap

Yes I do recognize these from children's stories I read as a child. Interesting POV. The mushrooms look huge shot this way. Great photographer's note. But I wonder how big these really are. Perfectly in focus and greatly presented.

From Tosca

hardyuno (2197) 2009-10-12 10:17

Hello Jaap,
this is an extraordinary perspective of this famous fungi and i like it very much. At the first sight i thought you have digged a hole in the ground for the shot.;-))). Great work, TFS
Best wishes
Hartmut

lestans (15452) 2009-10-12 10:20

A mushroom's POV??
Leaves are so nicely described!! And red color is capturing the eye. Fantastic work!!
Livia

xavshot (62389) 2009-10-12 10:34

Bonsoir Jaap
excellent POV au ras du sol. J'aime cette sensation d'appartenir au monde des petits animaux de la forêt. Très belle mise au point et excellentes couleurs;
Xavier

mesutilgim (36743) 2009-10-12 10:44

Hello dear Jaap,
What an amazing pov ! I can not think on that; otherwise I should walk around all the week long with an angle of 90 degrees !
Amazing compo with wonderfull colors and perfect framing
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Gerrit (35687) 2009-10-12 11:20

Mooie exemplaren, Jaap.
Ik verwacht elk moment de thuiskomst van Wipneus en Pim.
groeten Gerrit

Didi (36078) 2009-10-12 11:29

Bonjour Jaap
Il a fallu s'applatir sur le sol pour photographier ces champignons.
Le grand angle exagère la perspective et cela donne une certaine attraction à cette composition.
Je me demande si tu as vu les Schtroumpfs dans cette forêt enchantée.
Amitiés

AROBN54 (10755) 2009-10-12 11:47

Ah, Jaap,
I LOVE those mushrooms - they do indeed remind me of a fairy tale. That very low POV is perfect and the colors breath autumn. As always, wonderful sharpness and exquisite detail. Beautifully done! Many thanks and warmest regards,
Shelly

BWJ (1773) 2009-10-12 12:02

Hello Jaap,
I echo what Shelly said. I love this shot of the red and white toadstools and they do remind me of the fairy tales. It is a great macro shot with superb clarity and detail. The legend about the mushrooms giving rise to the story of Santa's flying reindeer is one I want to remember. I added this to my favorites.
Kind regards,
Betty

Rafer (4280) 2009-10-12 12:35

Perfecto encudre, color y definición...muy bonita...saludos

zanzi (4504) 2009-10-12 12:44

Hi Jaap
This is an ultra low pov. Could not be lower.
Welcome to giant mushrooms country.
Just one question: why a so small aperture ? I have the impression that this picture could have used a more limited dof...
Bravo
Chris

feather (49860) 2009-10-12 13:08

Before I read your description of how you took the shot I had visions of you lying prostrate on the floor getting very damp! :D
I love the ultra-low POV, making the fairy stories seem true, as if we are smaller than the toadstools. It's the kind that garden gnomes sit on when they fish in the pond. You also captured the crispness of the dead leaves with a well chosen aperture size.
Kath

Ninello52 (3332) 2009-10-12 13:09

Ciao Jaap!
Bella immaggine che ti invita ad andare per boschi! Molto buona l'inquadratura (dimostri di usare bene il tuo 17/40)e belli gli accostamenti cromatici con i funghi, bianchi e rossi, che svettano dal letto marrone delle foglie secche!
Saluti, Nino.

Waylim (10769) 2009-10-12 13:09

Hi Jaap,
Wow, what a pair of beautiful mushroom, so colorful, they must be poisonus. As you have confirmed. Love the low POV and they look gigantic from this composition. Very impress, great DoF, perfect macro shot. I love it. Two big mushroom up! My complements.
Way

devimeuxbe (55865) 2009-10-12 13:14

Hi jaap
Eh eh eh !
excellent. You found the perfect POV for this beautifull and colorfull mushrums.
well done
Bertrand

PaulVDV (5184) 2009-10-12 13:38

Hallo Jaap,
Vanuit dit kaboutersperspectief lijken de paddestoelen op het eerste zicht reusachtig groot. Met de herfstbladeren op de voorgrond is het toch een heel realistische foto.
De felrode en witte kleur geven ons een andere en mooie impressie van de herfst in het bos.
Groeten, Paul

emka (21369) 2009-10-12 13:49

Hi Jaap,

Fairy-tale? It would be with some dwarves. Splendid low POV photo. Amanita are so beautiful1 Because they are not edible they can safely grow and we can admire thir beauty.

Regards

Malgorzata

gilou530 (35172) 2009-10-12 13:50

salut jaap
voila un POV que j'adore un gros plan sur ces anamites, en plus ce WE j'ai ramassé des cêpes alors autant dire que la relation avec ta photo est bienvenu
amitiés
gilbert

rigoletto (26220) 2009-10-12 14:59

carper's magic mushrooms will make you fly high, and finally imagine the smurf ;)

barrufeto_77 (25797) 2009-10-12 15:27

Hi Jaap.

For sure, perfect for a fairy tale hahahaha.

Excellent colours!

Rgs, Oscar

phwall (5560) 2009-10-12 17:17

Hello Jaap,
You know I never thought these particular mushrooms existed, I always thought they had been made up by some artist to grace the front cover of children's fairy story books.
The colour and detail is superb, brilliantly photographed my friend.
Nature never ceases to amaze me.
Regards
Peter

ChrisJ (70171) 2009-10-12 18:11

Hi jaap

I almost expect Hansel & Gretl to come traipsing along! Good macro shot of the fungi, with excellent sharpness & framing. I like the low shooting angle. Tfs!

InasiaJones (20179) 2009-10-13 0:08

Hi Jaap,

Very interesting story!

For once, you didn't used your monopod here... :-P)

This isn't the first time you are interested in mushroom close-ups at ground level and I still like the result. These two big red bulbs with white dots are screaming for attention on this greenish background.

Well framed between two trees in the background.

Cheers!

André

gildasjan (23765) 2009-10-13 0:30

Bonjour Jaap
Très bon POV pour mettre ces amanites tue-mouches(Amanita Muscaria)en valeur.Un champignon hallucinogène qui fait le plaisir des photographes.
Bonne journée
Amicalement
gildas

jjcordier (24634) 2009-10-13 1:33

Jaap
Quel POV,j'hallucine o) Superbement cadré et exposé. Je t'imagine à plat ventre dans les feuilles!
Amicalement
JJ

Budapestman (41836) 2009-10-13 1:41

Dear Jaap,
fabled mood, indeed, the composition is fantastic, the colours and details are beautiful. Great shot once more, my friend. Have a nice day!
George

snunney (34830) 2009-10-13 1:46

Hello Jaap,
A superb close-up of these lovely if deadly mushrooms. I like how you have got down to the same level as them; inspired. Wonderful light and colours and excellent sharpness.

delpeoples (5998) 2009-10-13 2:33

Hi Jaap, I expected a fairy to be sitting on the top of this beautiful red toadstool. The low POV works really well here, it seems almost life-size. Great depth and management of the light. TFS, Lisa.

rodgerg (23993) 2009-10-13 2:43

Dag Jaap,

A POV very original and very efficience give this very beautiful shot. The white and the red colors arise very well in the image. Great depht too. Very interetsing note. A good post for TE.
Have a nice day,
Roger

josepmarin (33785) 2009-10-13 4:45

Hi Jaap,
An impressive close-up!! These Amanitas and its vivid red tones with its white spots, in a great shot from the ground, and its strong contrast with the colors of the dead leaves and of the trees, offer us a visual very interesting spectacle. It's indeed a fairy-tale scene.
An excellent work, my friend.
Best regards,
Josep

jlbrthnn (37863) 2009-10-13 5:43

Hello Jaap,
These mushrooms appear larger than natural. The composition is very well thought, the result is spectacular. The colors are superb. It is an excellent photograph and also a document on these splendid mushrooms. Congratulations.
Have a nice day.
Cordially.
Joël

janneman (1210) 2009-10-13 6:13

Mooi gedaan, maar..............ik had gehoopt dat je zelf op je buik had gelegen voor dit shot!!

Mooie intense kleuren en een heldere achtergrond: prachtig.

bostankorkulugu (33532) 2009-10-13 7:16

makes me feel like a dwarf... amazing pov jaap... cheers... korkut

Nicou (44737) 2009-10-13 8:33

hello,

alrors bon appétit.., superbe compoe et macro de ces champigons dans les fueilels morte, j'aiem bein le champigons mais pas ceux-ci, , ce rouge ce détail sur le cha^peus, grandiose.

Bravoe t amitié

Nicou

TopGeo (21765) 2009-10-13 10:12

Hi Jaap! It is the view of cute and nice for decoration that it is not poisonous, I know I prefer to look at only!The colour and detail is superb. Nice low shot with the forest backdrop Good idea!
Regards
Georgios

Kielia (8465) 2009-10-13 10:38

Dear Jaap,
this is an image that makes one's peace with the beginning of the dark season. Really very fairy tale like due to the fantastic colors and the pleasant light. As already mentioned, one can clearly smell the odeur of the ground. The POV you have chosen is amazing! Congratulation!
Warm regards
Harriet

Cricri (43092) 2009-10-13 12:00

Hi Jaap
Oups!!! pris ainsi a ras du sol cela leurs donne une dimension surnaturel, un peu sorti d'un comte pour enfants, superbe détails et couleurs, superbe
Have a week
cricri

COSTANTINO (22671) 2009-10-13 12:41

Hllo friend
I like this shot a lot because I want to feel like
a child.Interesting pov,I like the idea of a fairy tale
and those mushrooms make me feel better
Original version,compliments
Costantino

Philippe (11773) 2009-10-13 12:56

Hallo, Jaap. Ja, met de herfst komen de paddenstoelen weer terug. Zoals een Frans humorist zie: 'De paddenstoelen zijn altijd eetbaar, tenminste één keer' ;o). Je hebt hier een fantastisch gezichtspunt gekozen, zeer laag bij de grond. De details worden zeer goed weergegeven en het rood van de paddenstoelen komt zeer goed uit op de achtergrond en het wit op de herfstblaren. Nog een parel in je nochtans zeer rijke verzameling van uitstekende foto's.
Nog een goede avond,
Philippe

ymrk (8693) 2009-10-13 13:22

wow,this is incredible mashroom!the real fairy tale that will cartoons to appears? :D
You are perfect,Jaap...Congratulations!

Yağmur

Dyerco (9062) 2009-10-13 20:15

Hi Jaap
Well done for getting down on your knees to get this shot. Great DOF and well exposed.
Phil

testmaniac (12112) 2009-10-13 21:20

Hello Jaap, good and funny photo with nice POV. Good job and nice colors indeed.

TFS and regards,
Phil

danyy (68710) 2009-10-13 23:15

Bien vu jaap,
ils ont l'air gigantesques ces champignons et dommage qu'ils ne soient pas comestibles.
Un close-up de qualité dans un savant mélange de couleurs et de lumières.
My friendly regards.
Daniel.

pablominto (40600) 2009-10-13 23:45

Hello Jaap,

Pretty pretty but dangerous dangerous!
There are tales telling that old vikings used the stuff before battles, thus the term "berserk"..!
The close-up is well done, the low point of view results in a fine composition with stunning colours and details!

Greetings,
Pablo -

danos (32400) 2009-10-14 0:30

Good morning Jaap,
very nice the POV of this shot with the famous white-spotted red toadstool to looks like high trees.I have seen these red mushrooms for the first time in a similar previous shot from you.Excellent presentation and capture of course.Well done.

Have a nice day,Danos

jhm (82461) 2009-10-14 3:11

Hoi Jaap,

Een zeer mooie macro Jaap.
Inderdaad een sprookjes foto met deze rode paddestoelen.
Prachtig gedaan, mooie foto, bedankt.

Groeten,
John.

Cretense (56004) 2009-10-14 4:30

Hello Jaap!

Fantastic piece of macro and nature photography, looks like a fairy like scenery, like some darf houses! Excellent low POV, perfect focus and depth of field, flawless light management and amazing colours! Congratulations!

Hercules

jafadabret (39557) 2009-10-14 5:30

Bonjour Jaap.
Ces deux amanites Tue Mouche sont superbes. J'aime le POV de grenouille pour donner de l'importance à ces champignons. La grande profondeur de champ permet de situer le sujet dans son environnement.
Amicalement
Jacques

anokutan (7595) 2009-10-14 5:45

Hello Jaap,
Amazing compo with wonderfull colors and perfect framingYou found the perfect POV for this beautifull and colorfull mushrums.

Silvio1953 (41697) 2009-10-14 11:38

Ciao Jaap, beautiful fungi in a lovely magic forest, splendid light and wonderful natural colors, very well done, ciao Silvio

berek (28901) 2009-10-14 12:15

Hi Jaap,
beautiful nature and also red colors. great pooint of view and result.
have a nice evening
B.Erek

Fis2 (45765) 2009-10-14 12:56

Witaj Jaap!
Wonderfu autumn climate.
Good frame and colors.
Well done.
Regards
Krzysztof

jurek1951 (25978) 2009-10-14 14:23

Hi Jaap,
beautiful sharp colors.
excellent composition, well cropped.
good macro shot, incredible clarity of details.
Georg

gneufeld (15169) 2009-10-14 16:05

Hi jaap,
An awesome shot of an awesome subject. I love those unusual mushrooms and you provide a wonderful view of them with this very low perspective. TFs. Gerald

paura (38348) 2009-10-14 16:17

Jaap,
Uma beleza de macro aqui, amigo, mostrando em excelente composição a interessante furmação vegetal. Eficiente fotometria.

Abraço

Paulo

Graal (57885) 2009-10-14 22:47

Hi Jaap,
fine reportage from the forest. Good idea, theme and realize. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

patdeph (17816) 2009-10-14 22:58

hello Jaap
this very low POV creates the wonderful impression to be in a fairy tale,or to be a very small animal of the forest!This is superbly framed,and the colors are splendid!I like very much!
Regards
Pascale

wolf38 (12745) 2009-10-14 23:18

Hello Jaap. Poisonous mushrooms. In your photo they seem larger than life. The perspective (from below) is well chosen. Very nice and worth seeing. Regards, Wolfgang.

swiatopelk777 (8400) 2009-10-15 2:18

Hi Jaap!
Wonderful shot, nice colors, original low POV, good frame.
Greetings from Warszawa!

Albrecht (11034) 2009-10-15 10:14

Heerlijke herfstfoto. Mooi laag standpunt en schitterende kleuren en diepte. Herfst is en blijft prachtig!

Groeten uit Nijkerk
Albrecht

Longroute (9317) 2009-10-15 11:19

Yes, it really looks like in a fairy tale: the POV of a dwarf!
You had to be lying flat on the ground to be able to take a photo from such a low POV! the chromatic contrast is so fine: the red of the musrooms, the white and the deep green of the trees. and the DOF is really incredible! F/18.0 can explain that...
An excellent work.
TFS,
Donato

MarcT (21097) 2009-10-15 12:31

Hallo Jaap,
Zo heb ik u eerst ontdekt! Met deze mushrooms ;o))
Prachtig close up.
Groet
Marc

maximage (13369) 2009-10-15 12:37

Bonjour jaap,
Excellent POV au ras du sol. De magnifiques champignons, vénéneux, que tu as bien capturé. Belle qualité d'image.
max

papagolf21 (56335) 2009-10-15 13:40

Bonsoir, mon ami Jaap,
Véritable prise de vue rappelant le merveilleux monde de Gulliver !
Ces champignons semblent inoffensifs, l'habit ne fait pas le moine.
Une excellente prise de vue qui a dû demander de gros efforts pour réussir cet exploit.
Amitiés.
Philippe

BelCan75 (2418) 2009-10-15 20:19

Hallo Jaap,

Prachtige foto van deze mooie paddestoelen. Knappe compositie met mooi licht, mooie kleuren en details. Ik mis enkel nog een paar kaboutertjes...hahaha. Prachtig werk!

Groetjes,
Ann

MLINES (10880) 2009-10-15 21:58

Hi Jaap, A wonderful sharp macro of this pair of fungi. The POV is highly interesting with the huge trees behind, making it surreal, like a dream. Well presented. The red tops and white stalks really stand out well. TFS. Murray.

francio64 (11000) 2009-10-16 4:04

Oooh! Jaap!
Very impressive and beautiful shot!
The low POV makes it seem the two Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria, as big as a man.

Incredible!
Compliments!

Francesco

belido (16421) 2009-10-16 7:20

Hi Jaap,

yes, they look poisonous. Mama told me that everything that is too coloured may be dangerous :)) Very a very good approach. I guess you were lying to catch that. Interesting and unique presentation. Well done!
Regards,
Carlos

Bluejeans (32227) 2009-10-16 10:50

Ola Jaap ,
Que bela macro a estes dois cogumelos seus detalhes ficaram com grande qualidade , gostei do vermelho vivo faz um bonito contraste com o verde, bom ponto de visão baixo , parabéns !!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

Bom fim de semana

jackart (5560) 2009-10-16 11:30

Hello Jaap!

Great macroshot! Extraordinary use of wide lens. Mushrooms like monsters looks very impressive. Great frame!

Regards
Jacek

gervaso (5166) 2009-10-16 13:12

Hello, Jaap!

Great picture of the mushrooms, with interesting title! The details are beautiful with excellent sharpness and colors! Beautiful composition! Well done!

Angshu (33637) 2009-10-16 20:54

Dag Jaap
I do remember your earlier post of a toadstool, very well. This is very interesting from your very low POV, with the old dried leaves almost touching your lens. The red 'hats' of the toadstools are the main eye catcher. Excellent shot my friend!
Best Regards
Angshu

riclopes (32977) 2009-10-18 3:12

Olá Jaap, it's been a while since I added any photo to my favorites in TE but this one really makes me happy. What a great POV and close approach to these gorgeous mushrooms. It's hard to believe that they are poisonous. For sure an image of a fairy tale. Congratulations once again.
groet,
ric

jonathan_hart (22576) 2009-10-19 3:13

gorgeous quality, beautiful take, i can say more, i admire your composition
jc

jemaflor (39323) 2009-10-19 10:44

Hi Jaap,
Well taken with a good angle to have these big mushrooms, nice colors.

kiks (6065) 2009-10-19 11:46

Ha jij hebt ze al gevonden!! Ze zijn prachtig en het gebruik van insect POV maakt het nog meer sprookjes achter. Prachtige note.
Dank je
KIKs

AiresSantos (42040) 2009-10-19 23:32

Hi dear Jaap
Excellent close-up of this wonderful red toadstools.
Here, we also can see the leaves on the ground, the autumn is coming
Fine photo job my friend
Have a nice day

sacavem (8255) 2009-10-21 13:35

Olá jaap,

Good work to capture this image.
Excellent composition, very nice colours, and sharpness.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Filipe

jwmunro (6573) 2009-10-21 19:53

Hello Jaap -

This sure is the ant's perspective! Excellent image both in the composition and the technical details. Well done!

Thank you for sharing.

John

Vasa (5500) 2009-10-22 2:52

Your effort for original point of view is evident, dear Jaap. Your result is amazing. Nice lesson for ambitious photographers. So happy to see your work, each time. Friendly

Branko

claudeD (11312) 2009-10-23 11:55

Hello Jaap,

very impressive macro shot of this mushroom.I like the deep pov and the fine colors.Perfect sharpness.Very well done.TFS.

With regards from Luxembourg

Jean-Claude

smarcell (14279) 2009-10-24 10:04

Very nice idea here ! I actually made something similar years ago, but here the mushrooms are very colorful and nice.
Regards Stefano

sabermonajati (561) 2009-10-26 1:30

hi jaap
red coloure is very beautiful.nice frame you shot.
your gallery is really nice.
your landscapese are tip-top.
best regard
saber

Wanda1 (10945) 2009-10-28 10:49

Dag Jaap,
I love these kind of mushrooms, it does seem like something out of a fairy tale and with your low point of view you have a fairy perspective too. Love the brown leaves surrounding them and the light filtering through the trees is nice and soft.
Groetjes
Wanda

Dashab (907) 2009-10-29 4:33

Hello Jaap,
This is a beautiful shot of fly agaric, I love the light on them and the very authentic colours as well as fact that their caps have not flattened fully yet. If you don't mind, I will add it to my mushroom theme... Cheers, Dasha

Signal-Womb (11693) 2009-10-29 14:53

Great perspective on this Jaap. you must have been on your belly to get this? I see you have new 5D MK2 as well. Superb camera I love mine even though Iv hardly got using it much but its near to perfect for me. Best regards Steve.

salvator (18809) 2009-10-30 8:44

Hi Jaap,
Wonderfully shot, with superb definition and superb colors. I like it.
Best regards.
Salvator.

frieda (149) 2009-11-01 7:04

Hallo Jaap,
Ik heb op deze, een beetje sombere zondagmiddag je foto's van de laatste tijd weer eens bekeken en heb er van genoten.
Ik vond dat dit 'sprookje' er uit sprong! mis alleen nog een kabouter:-)
dank je wel en veel groeten,
Frieda.

niphredil76 (686) 2009-11-04 14:21

Che bella Jaap,
such a fairy one! I love your color rendering, and the POV you chose is really charming!
TFS

Laura

sevy (13386) 2009-11-05 0:45

Hello Jaap,

You proposed a photo I tried often to realize but without real success. I was not thinking it was possible to get such deepness effect with the 17-40, I was thinking a fisheye was mandatory.
I like a lot the point of view from ground. Did you make the focus and composition using the live view on camera LCD?
As well, a good management of the light with a good rendering of both foreground and background.

Yves.

amazon (10607) 2009-11-05 1:35

hoi jaap,
sanki bir masal kitabının sayfası gibi,bakış açın çok güzel,renklerde öyle,
selamlar,
iffet

leonorkuhn (13559) 2009-11-05 5:37

Hi Jaap,

These red mushrooms are very attractive, one can expect to see an elf in the neighborhood. ;-)
Excellent POV, magnificent colors, textures, great light and superb details.

beste wensen
Leonor

clio (22647) 2009-11-05 13:12

Hi Japp,
Incredible POV who allows us to go into the world of fairy tales, dwarfs and witches who prepare magic potions.
I like it a lot!
The oak-leaf to the right which looks like a shell ready to destroy the Amanita is fantastic.
Beautiful world
Bravo!
Diane

subhendu_bagchi (3061) 2009-11-12 2:30

Namaste Jaap,
really you used here an unusual POV. Nice framing with the background green. Focus is sharp. Nice red white combination nicely contrasted with the rest. Great capture indeed. Tfs.
Have a nice day.
Subhendu

mauro61 (15458) 2009-11-25 8:43

ciao Jaap,
questa mi era sfuggita..
due giganti in mezzo alla foresta...
Bellissimi i colori e originale l'inquadratura.
bravissimo
buona serata
maurizio