I mentioned in yesterday’s post that my Saturday morning photo-prowl, despite the unpromising weather and season, turned up a few good shots. For one thing I came across a pile of rotting logs beside the Kennebunk Bridle Path that were covered in interesting fungi. I have been experimenting with using the digital tel-extender function with macro at the wide end of the zoom, which gives me considerably larger than life size views. The light was actually pretty ideal for this kind of macro work…even and diffused, with very little shadow to deal with.

The first image is, after some research this morning, False Turkey Tail Mushroom. You can tell by the smooth, creamy, undersurface.

Growing right next to it…actually over one log…was a nice patch of real Turkey Tail Mushroom.

Though I did not know it until my research this morning (aimed mostly at putting a name to the mushrooms) Turkey Tail Mushroom is the center of a lot of medical research today. You can even buy Turkey Tail Mushroom extract on-line. Apparently there is evidence that compounds in the Turkey Tail kill cancer cells, or at least support the immune system in doing so, and it has been used for cancers from breast to prostrate. Interesting.

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation. 24mm equivalent field of view and macro…plus 2x digital tel-extender function. Both shots were from less than a centimeter away from the closest fungi. 1) f4 @ 1/80th @ ISO 200. 2) f4 @ 1/160th @ ISO 160.

And just for fun, two more shots without the dte function kicked in, which perhaps show the growth habit a bit more clearly.