Submitter's name:	Jan Steinman
Title:	Death Springs Life
Gear used:	OM-4t, Zuiko 16mm f3.5 fisheye, 7mm auto extension ring, Nikon LS-2000 scanner
Diaphragm:	f16
Shutter speed:	about 4 seconds (auto)
Film used:	Kodak Elitechrome 100
Technical information:	I get a kick out of using "unsupported" combinations of equipment. I'm particularly fond of using extension tubes on wide angle lenses. They give a feeling one cannot match with traditional macro lenses. The 16mm covers a huge angle, which usually means flare, but in this case, the flare nicely softens everything. This shot was hand-held at 4 seconds by wedging the camera against the tree. The mushroom was only about 1.5cm from the front of the lens.
Subject information:	Fungi are the ultimate scavengers. They break dead things into nutrients, which then nourish living things. Without fungi, we'd all be knee-deep in dead things, if we existed at all! This mushroom is only about 2.5cm across, as one can tell from the Douglas Fir needle in the lower right.
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Comment left by: Olaf Greve (no e-mail specified)

Sounds like a tough shot to pull off! I once tried something slightly similar: a 24mm on a short extension tube, this indeed allowed for a lovely close-up with great DOF; a trick I would probably never have thought of if I hadn't read it on the Oly list!

Comment left by: Alasdair Mackintosh (Alasdair.Mackintosh@ntlworld.com)

A fascinating effect, and great choice of angle. (I love the way that the light filters through the body of the mushroom.) It's a bit of a wide exposure range (dark at the bottom, and slightly washed out at the top) but I guess it's inherent in the subject matter. Possibly worth a bit of tweaking?

Comment left by: Sean Davis (no e-mail specified)

Very interesting use of angle and equipment. Imaginative!

Comment left by: C.H.Ling (chling@accura.com.hk)

An excellent shot, using wide angle for close up gives an unusually view. It impress me the first time I seen it in Olympus System Lens Handbook. The translucent feel of the subject gives life to this picture, well execute.

Comment left by: :Doro (no e-mail specified)

Great shot! Very original.

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