2024 Photo contest winners

Thank you to Sara Klingensmith for judging this years photo contest. The winners were announced at the October meeting. There were four categories to enter Pictorial, Documentary, Judge’s Option and for the second year Mushroom Selfies.

Pictorial: This division is for single photos that illustrate the beauty and variety of fungi in form and color. The objective is a photo suitable for display or illustration in a fine book. Judging criteria include consideration of both technical (focus, depth of field, exposure, lighting, color, absence of distracting elements) and artistic (composition, color, background, lighting) aspects.

Winners:
1st place Mikayla Burlingame: Pseudoboletus parasiticus
2nd place Barbora Batokova: Chlorociboria sp.
3rd place Josh Doty: Hemitrichia calyculata
Honorable Mention Steve Young: Poor Man’s Licorice, Bulgaria inquinans
Honorable Mention Johnathan Kohlhepp: “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”

Documentary: For single photographs especially suited as illustrations in a field guide or monograph, or for use in a lecture. Emphasis is placed on portrayal of key morphological characteristics such that the usefulness of the image as an identification aid is maximized. Subjects may be shot in the field, laboratory or studio and the photographer has complete freedom to process, manipulate, or orient the specimen in any desired manner to achieve the goal. Close-ups of single features and photomicrographs are acceptable. Judging criteria will be the same as in the Pictorial category but they will be of secondary importance to the overall mycological utility of the photo. Accurate identification of the subject will be a consideration.

Winners:
1st place Devin Hilty: Mitrula sp.
2nd place Josh Doty: Exsudoporus frostii stem
3rd place Barbora Batokova: Boletus subluridellus
Honorable Mention Devin Hilty: Hyperparasite
Honorable Mention Mikayla Burlingame: Hygrocybe cantharellus

Judge’s Option: For photos which do not fit into the Pictorial or Documentary divisions. Examples include fungi in an interesting situation, fungi with animals, people enjoying fungi.

Winners:
1st place Mike Henry: “Berkley Quintuplets”
2nd place Cecily Franklin: “Boletes”
3rd place Lynn Gill: “Didn’t Plant These”
Honorable Mention Devin Hilty: UV Russula sp.

Mushroom Selfies: Entries must be single, self-taken (“selfie”) cell phone photos of you with at least one mushroom. You may also include other willing people, your pets, and other animals that happen to cross the background in the photo. You may use selfie sticks, but no other person may take the photo for you.

Winners:
1st place Jared White
2nd place Sara McGinity
3rd place Mike Henry: “Alas Poor Yorick!”

Here is the presentation of the results: