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Identifying mushrooms from a photo is not easy, but it is not impossible. With a little care and by following a few simple rules, you can take high-quality photographs of fungi to enrich your own collection or share occurrence data supporting science to assess fungal diversity and support research activity, also making knowledge about fungi accessible to everyone. A well-taken, nice photo of a fungus encourages learning and raises awareness of fungi as a natural value.
This guide sums up in 10 points what to focus on when taking photographs of fungi for citizen science purposes:
What to focus on:
1. Take photos of intact, mature, whole fruiting bodies!
Injured, broken, soaked, stem-less,
premature, not yet emerged fruiting bodies are worthless to be taken.
2. Focus!
Take care of the focus, do not move while you are taking the photo.
Make sure the image is sharp before and after clicking.
Hint: Keep the camera straight and steady by supporting it. Adjust the focus by tapping on the object on the display to sharpen it.
3. Take care of the illumination! Take balanced photos! Colors, patterns, and surface structures are important characteristics for identification.
Use soft, diffuse light.
In strong sunlight, the lighter, white-toned parts can be overexposed, so dim the light.
In cloudy, shadowy, dim light conditions, the photo might be dark and gray. Use flash to boost exposure.
4. Do not shoot downwards!
It is better to get down close to the fungus and take a photo from the side or below (frog perspective).
Always take a picture of spore-bearing structures (gill, pores, spines, veins). Again, side or below.
For small fungi, use the macro function!
5. The shape, pattern, and base of the stem should be visible in the photo!
The presence or absence of the ring and volva are important characteristics.
Stem base color change, bulbous shape, rimmed edge, mycelium cord, root-like structures, etc., are also important features to take in a photo.
In the case of a species with a hollow stem, a section should also be taken.
6. Landscaping
The fungus should not be covered! Make sure you have a clean foreground and background!
Remove any hanging grasses and leaves covering the stem, hanging on the cap.
7. Microscopic characteristics
For a genus, like Inocybe, microscopic examination is necessary for identification. Take photos of microscopic features.
Spore shape, size, ornamentation, and cystidia should be photographed.
8. Other features cannot be captured in a photo: smell, taste
It is always worth smelling the mushroom and recording the smell in the comment over the photo, e.g. radish, geranium, spicy, foetid, etc.
Flavors, such as bitterness, can also be a clue.
For Russulas, hot or mild taste is an important distinction.
9. Discoloration, milking
Certain fungi species can be distinguished by their color reactions, e.g., boletus (turns blue), agarics (turn yellow, red), and parasols (red).
For boletes and agarics, cut the fruit body in half and wait for the color reaction, then take a photo.
It is also useful to take a photo of a fungi that change color when exposed to chemicals (e.g., potassium hydroxide) or record it in the comment next to the photo.
For milk caps, the color and discoloration of the milk are also important information.
10. Habitat, substrate, mycorrhizal partner
It is better to take a photo of the habitat.
Or the habitat type should be specified, e.g., deciduous forest (poplar, oak), coniferous forest, pasture, forest edge.
Information about the decaying wood or timber is useful.
For mycorrhizal species, it is important to determine the tree partner.
Specifying the soil type is additional information.
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