About me

As a long time hiker and camper, I've encountered mushrooms for decades. I'm in no way an expert; I can't name the various species when I encounter them, nor have I cracked any scientific tomes on the subject. I simply find them beautiful and mysterious, sometimes interestingly ugly and other times truly sublime. Sometimes grey and malformed, and other times vivid and perfectly contoured. It was only natural that I began photographing them years ago.

At first there was no real purpose for these photographs, no goals or ambitions. I simply started snapping shots of the more interesting specimens I came across in my nature journeys, much like you would casually take a picture of something pretty or interesting you come across in your day-to-day life. It wasn't until years later, when going through some old photographs, that I noticed my mushroom photographs had been getting progressively better with time. There were many aspects being captured in these photos - their small stature and subtle strength, their quietude, the way they bend hopefully toward the light - that had developed into solid themes as my work progressed. I began experimenting with different angles, taking care to capture all of their glorious imperfections and beautiful shades of red, orange, and purple.

The perspective I'm striving for is that of the awed outsider, a non-expert enthralled by the raw beauty of the subject. Stripped of clinical trappings, I believe these photographs capture the true essence of the mushroom.

Thank you for visiting my page!

Penny

Mystic Heartlove