Week 15 Winner
The winner of Week 15 of our #52weeksofnature photo contest is Erin Brown. Some photographs involve a little prep work. This impressive composition of wild mushrooms gathered while foraging through the Pacific Northwest has just the right amount of color and texture, making it one of the most unique nature inspired images we have seen all year. Erin has won a $100 gift code to hippytree.com and we are donating $100 to the Access Fund on her behalf. Learn more about Erin below:
Where was the image shot?
I took this photo in my backyard in Springfield, Oregon, after gathering the mushrooms with my daughter in the Cascade Mountains. While I'm searching for edible mushrooms, she loves to find any and all that she can, the more colorful the better. We gather a few of each species that we find to bring home and identify. I enjoy playing with the colors and textures of mushrooms to photograph.
What camera did you use and what were the settings?
Camera: Samsung Galaxy S7
Lens: 4.2mm Stock Lens
Aperture: f/1.7
Shutter Speed: 1/330s
ISO: 50
How long have you been shooting?
I have been taking pictures since my grandparents gave me my first camera when I was 8 (34 years ago). I turned more to nature photography when I was a Park Ranger in the National Park Service. I moved on from that job about 10 years ago to start my family. Naturally then I focused my camera towards my kids for quite a while, but we like to explore the great outdoors together, so I get to combine these subjects quite often.
What’s your camera of choice?
I'm a recreational photographer so I haven't upgraded my camera for quite some time. Still using my entry level DSLR Nikon D5000. Though I took this particular photo with my Samsung phone.
What’s your favorite subject matter to shoot?
I'm a mom. My favorite subjects are my daughter who is almost 10 and her brother who is 7. My favorite captures are informal, no posing, immersed in nature doing what they do best, which is unencumbered play.
Do you shoot with a crew or shoot solo?
Ha! No crew for me, just my family and friends to add spontaneity.
What excites you about photography?
I love how light changes everything in photography. Certain weather and times of day really draw my eye and make me grab my camera.
