Take a closer look
Easily missed by the naked eye, the smallest features of nature and everyday objects are brought to the fore in this selection of images from the latest Close-up Photographer of the Year competition
Fields of Dreams
J Fritz Rumpf
Arizona, US, might not be a place where you expect to find mushrooms, but during heavy monsoon seasons, there’s an abundance of them, especially in the mountain areas. On one of my first wild-mushroom foraging outings in the Arizona White Mountains last fall, I picked up this mushroom and, since it was not one of the two varieties that I was certain were edible, I put it back on the ground. Luckily, it landed gills side up, and I noticed the incredibly beautiful colours, textures and patterns. I used the back of my photo bag as a base, and did several photo stacks. It ended up being a good reminder not to miss the hidden details that are all around us.