Have you taken a great photo of fungi somewhere within the Eurobodalla or Bega Valley? Enter it in the Fungi Feastival’s photography competition which runs from now until early June. Great prizes.

Fungi photography is growing in popularity. The reasons so many people are passionate about it are varied. As Andrew Larkin (facilitator of Fungi Photography Workshops for the 2023 Fungi Feastival) explained: “With an estimated three million fungi species and only around 150,000 of those identified, fungi photography is an unmatched opportunity to find and photograph something absolutely new to science. Even if a mushroom isn’t new to science, it is very often new to me. It is the ultimate citizen-science version of Pokemon Go.”

For others, it is the excitement and rush of getting the perfect shot. Josh Whitworth described walking the Kianga rainforest trail after recent rains. At the bottom of a gully he found a caterpillar crawling towards a woodear mushroom on a rotting log. He was able to get his camera lens set up just in time to take about twenty quick shots and capture “the shot”.

Then there is the detail you see in nature.

For Fiona Kotvojs, “Once you start looking for fungi, you see them everywhere. They come in all shapes and sizes. My favourite are the tiny ones, almost hidden till you see them. Then you wonder how you missed their loud red, luminescent green, or perfect brown. When you start looking for fungi, then you see all the other amazing things around us. It makes me pause, really look, and enjoy my surroundings as I get the perfect photo.”

This photo competition is part of the lead up to the Fungi Feastival celebrating the science, food and art of fungi. It will run from 21st June to 21st July. The Fungi Feastival’s photo competition has two rounds, each with a youth and open section. Entries for the first round close on 30th March and the second round on 10th June 2024. Prizes include fungi books, mushroom growing kits and truffle hunts. For details on how to enter fungi photo competition visit http://www.fungifeastival.com.au/photo-competition