Macro on the Mountain

Green
Green Moss

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While hiking in Pine Mountain State Park I was intrigued with the plant life that was on the trees. I assume these green guys are a moss since they were primarily on the north side of the trees. This image was taken using my 60mm Nikkor macro lens and processed in Aperture 3.

Moss #2
Moss #2

Another shot of the moss from a little closer. This image was also processed in Aperture 3.

Moss and Lichen
Moss and Lichen

I was also fascinated by the various lichen that accompanied the moss. The patterns and textures are so intricate. As with the previous images I used Aperture 3 for processing.

Moss #3
Moss #3

The more I studied these mosses the more intrigued I became.

Lichen and Bark Study
Lichen  Study

These lichen remind me of coral reefs floating above canyons in the sea. The forms and colors are amazing and seem as endless as the ocean depths.

Lichen #2
Lichen Study #2

These lichen are everywhere in the forest at Pine Mountain. These were on a branch I found lying on the ground but they were everywhere on the trees and on the forest floor as well. The texture and delicate structure is something that really draws my eye to them.

I’m not sure that I have properly identified any of these organisms and welcome any input that people want to share with me about what they are.

16 thoughts on “Macro on the Mountain

  1. Annie I appreciate the info about what the moss. I shot these images at f22 using my 60mm Nikkor Micro Lens on a Nikon D90 body giving me 90mm final magnification due to the small sensor crop factor. Of course I also used a tripod and a remote release to keep everything steady.

    1. Annie I also tried to make sure that the subjects were on the same plane as my camera. Think of it as trying to photograph a printed page; doing so allowed me to minimise the depth of the subject whereas shooting at an angle would have expanded the depth of the image and thrown more of it out of focus.

      1. You’re obviously doing everything right. I usually use a Sigma 150 macro on a D200 or D800, but perhaps I should be borrowing my husband’s Nikkor 60 micro when he is using his 105 micro.

        By the way, you’re fungi #2 shot is actually of a lichen (ok, so lichens are part fungi, part algae)

  2. As a photography judge I can only comment that these are good scientific technical images but as photo art they lack composition, clear cut subject matter and potential viewer interest. Sorry but I could not rate them very highly.

  3. Before I read your comment about the mosses and lichen looking like coral, I thought how much they resemble the coral I have just seen snorkeling in the waters of St. Bart. I like especially the colors in the blue lichen.

  4. These images take me back many years when I was learning photography and would go out in the early spring as the snow was melting. At the time I was using a Canon TX and a 50mm with extension tubes and shooting on Kodachrome. Times have certainly changed. Thanks for the images Nick.

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