Dazzling Macro Photographs Reveal the Magic of Tiny Fungi and Slime Molds
Fungi are widely misunderstood and often under-appreciated, yet they are a crucial component of the planet's ecosystems. Though they may sometimes look bizarre and otherworldly to us, they are nevertheless unparalleled experts at breaking down organic matter and according to some experts, their latent superpowers may potentially even save the world.
Aiming to raise awareness and appreciation of the smallest of fungi, and also mysterious slime molds (also called a variety of monikers like Myxogastria and Myxomycetes), American photographer Alison Pollack uses special techniques to capture the magic and beauty of these tiny organisms.
As Pollack explains:"These may look big in the photo, but they are really tiny, barely visible to the naked eye, each less than one millimeter tall. To photograph such tiny fungi with high magnification, I used a 10x microscope lens adapted to my camera, and a technique called focus stacking. The camera is mounted on a finely tuned rail, and the camera is moved between each photo a mere five microns – that’s five thousandths of an inch! Each of these three photos is created from hundreds of individual images which were stacked with specialized computer software that combines the in-focus portions of each of the individual images into a composite image that shows everything in focus front to back. It’s a magical photography technique that takes a lot of time and work, but what can be revealed makes it so much fun!"
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