Worm’s Eye View Assignment Winner Randy Wilson

Congratulations to Randy Wilson for winning the recent Worm’s Eye View Photography Assignment with his image, “Shroom Glow.”

“‘Shroom Glow’ was taken in Great Smoky Mountains National Park,” said Wilson. “We were shooting in Tremont along the Little River. It was midday and sunny. The group was looking for something with less contrast than the cascades on the river. Looking for something different, I pulled out the macro and went looking for the small stuff. Moving along the damp riverbank, I began finding mushrooms and fungi of all types and colors. Some mushrooms as small as a pin head. Before long, everyone was doing the same. It was so much fun to see what everyone was finding when they made a mental and visual adjustment.

“Getting the angle I wanted for this shot required losing the tripod and using the soft ground for support. In the low light I had to push the ISO up until I felt the shutter speed was fast enough to avoid any camera shake. I thought this shot worked the best due to the contrasting reds and greens. Tremont is one my favorite locations in the Smokies. One of the least visited and easily accessible areas of the park. At any given time I’ve never seen more than a handful of visitors, photographers, fly-fishers, hikers and a few bears.”

Equipment & Settings: Canon 1Ds III, Canon 100mm Macro 2.8 at 1/20 sec., ƒ/5.6, ISO 500, Lightroom & Photoshop.

To see more of Randy Wilson’s photography, visit his website at rhwilsonphoto.com.

Each week, Outdoor Photographer features a new photo assignment to inspire photographers to get out and expand their creativity. Check out our current photography assignment and enter your best shots, and find inspiration from previous assignments here. Past assignment winners can be viewed on the OP Blog here.