The whale bone and the lichen
Welcome to our July newsletter! We’ve got some cool fungi finds and updates on OUR OUTREACH CAMPAIGN, where you can catch both FUNGI: WEB OF LIFE and FOLLOW THE RAIN, plus Stephen’s tips for getting down under with your fungi photography.
Lichen growing on a whale bone
AT LAST!
The IMAX documentary FUNGI: WEB OF LIFE is coming to Australia.
Merlin Sheldrake examines a ghoul fungus in Tasmania during the filming of FUNGI: WEB OF LIFE
Featuring Merlin Sheldrake (author of the bestseller Entangled Life) and narrated by the legendary Björk, this film is a must-see.
It’s part of the Melbourne International Film Festival, showing in 3D on a towering seven-storey screen with sensuous surround sound.
Imagine tiny fungi magnified to 32 metres high.
Join co-director Joseph Nizeti, Dr Tom May, Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak for Q&As on Thursday, August 22 at 6:30 PM and Sunday, August 25 at 4:00 PM.
Tickets sell out fast, so grab yours here https://miff.com.au/program/film/fungi-web-of-life
INTERNATIONAL SCREENINGS
FUNGI: WEB OF LIFE is also screening worldwide—from India to Iceland to Atlanta. Find an IMAX cinema near you or request an on-demand screening https://www.fungimovie.com/theaters
JOIN US ON TOUR IN TASMANIA
After five sold-out screenings during the Fungi Feastival, Narooma Kinema is doing an encore screening of our feature documentary FOLLOW THE RAIN on July 28 at 1:30 PM - tickets here.
On August 28 at 6.30 PM, it will be shown at the outdoor cinema at Lightening Ridge, and there will also be a fundraising screening for Tweed Landcare in Murwillumbah on August 7. (see our website next week for details)
Then, in SEPTEMBER, we’re taking the film on tour to TASMANIA. Some of the captivating stories in Follow the Rain were filmed during our annual pilgrimages to the Tasmanian wilderness, so it’s only fitting to share the documentary in person with our southern fungi friends. Tickets are selling fast, so don’t wait!
19 September, 3:30 PM - Stanley Town Hall, Stanley, TAS - tickets here
22 September, 3:30 PM - The Paragon Theatre, Queenstown, TAS - tickets here
26 September, 6:00 PM - State Cinema, Hobart, TAS (with renowned Tasmanian mycologist Genevieve Gates) - tickets here (only a few seats left)
27 September, 6:30 PM - Star Theatre, Launceston, TAS (see our website next week for details)
We will keep you updated on international screenings and streaming and broadcast opportunities. If you are an international streamer or broadcaster interested in screening Follow the Rain, please contact Natalie Lawley at Escapade Media.
THE WHALE BONE AND THE LICHEN
We love celebrating a good fungi tale, and we found a gem at Bithry Inlet on the NSW south coast.
Amid shells and colourful rocks on an old coastal lava flow, a whale bone has become home to a tenacious lichen.
Washed ashore around ten years ago, this bone has settled into a sanctuary from the violent seas, allowing an extremophile lichen to start its garden.
Our photo essay on this fascinating find was shot using Stephen’s Sony a7r5 with focus bracketing for incredible detail, and Catherine’s mobile phone with a nifty SANDMARC microscope lens, with its own inbuilt ring light to illuminate the minute garden.
Hygrocybe sp., Mimosa Rocks National Park
STEPHEN’S PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FOR PHONE AND DIGITAL CAMERAS
Capturing fungi at ground level in all their glory can be tricky.
Here are some low-tech ways to keep your camera still.
Lie on the ground with your elbows tucked in.
Brace yourself against a tree or rock.
Breathe out, then take your shot before taking another breath.
If possible, use the volume button instead of the screen button to take the photo and minimize camera movement.
Nothing beats a tripod.
Use a plastic bag filled with rice or lentils as a bean bag for your phone or camera.
For phone cameras, you can use a selfie stick that doubles as a tripod or a smartphone tripod adaptor on a small tripod.
If your tripod doesn't go low enough, you can flip the centre column upside down on many tripods. It hangs between the legs, getting your camera to ground level. The image will be upside down. Some flip-backs will correct that, and the image can be rotated in post-production.
I use an old GITZO tripod with a traverse centre column on a pivot that allows me to get it right down on the ground. It’s totally adjustable. Unfortunately, they don't make this tripod anymore. The company NEWER has put out a similar tripod with a traverse centre column being adjustable in increments.
I’ve also ordered a Z tripod mount recommended by a fellow macro photographer: https://www.amazon.com.au/Easiest-Payload-Multiway-Flexible-Minimal/dp/B08Z8KX287.
I’ll let you know how it goes when fungi season starts!
Cortinarius austroveneta, Mimosa Rocks National Park
Download our free How to photograph and describe my fungus field guide.
Remember to upload your photographs and observations to iNaturalist to help expand the knowledge of species identification and distribution.
For more advanced photography tips you can stream Stephen Axford’s
Masterclass in macro fungi photography
or watch this free video on YouTube about Focus bracketing with the Sony α7R V.
WALL ART FOR PLANNING AND DREAMING
Miraculous Mushroom Calendar 2025 is here!
Enjoy Stephen Axford’s stunning portraits of fungi, complete with fascinating facts.
This twelve-month calendar is available now at bookshops and online.
Our publishers are committed to sustainability, planting over one million trees and eliminating single-use plastic.
FOLLOW THE RAIN: Impact Campaign Update
It’s been a whirlwind month for spreading the fungi love!
Spreading the Word
We kicked off the month by contributing to an article for ABC Science, Puffballs to polypores: Why we know so little about Australia's fungi highlighting the huge gaps in our knowledge of fungi, the vital role of citizen scientists, and the pressing need for more funding. Stephen’s stunning imagery supported the excellent journalism of author Jacinta Bowler, bringing this story of fungi to life.
On a chilly winter’s night the people of Merimbula NSW packed their local cinema to take a journey into the Kingdom of Fungi. Photo: Andrew Larkin
Follow the Rain takes flight
Our documentary, Follow the Rain, has been on a roll with six sold-out screenings in June across Australia—Grafton, Bateman’s Bay, Moruya, Narooma, Bega, and Merimbula—and even a screening in Vienna, Austria! A huge thank you to the hundreds of people who joined us for this cinematic journey with fungi. The Q&As were buzzing with great questions and discussions about the latest in fungal science.
Macro Fungi Photography Workshop, Tathra. Photo Andrew Larkin.
Workshops and Fungi Strolls
As part of the Fungi Feastival on the NSW south coast, we hosted two workshops teaching participants how to capture fungi in macro photographs with both phones and digital cameras. Photos with a high level of diagnostic details help scientists identify species. We encourage everyone to upload their finds to iNaturalist to expand our knowledge of fungal species.
There were some spectacular lichens in Mimosa Rocks National Park.
We also led a Fungi Stroll, discovering beautiful and unexpected finds in a damp gully amid cycads and eucalypts.
A big shoutout to the Fungi Feastival organizers for hosting us so generously as special guests and keynote speakers for the first two weeks. There’s still one week left of workshops, fungi walks, and presentations—don’t miss out!
Planet Fungi presenting at the New South Wales and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services - cross-border meeting, talking about the unique fungi of the Australian Gondwana rainforests.
Engaging with Rangers
Last week, we had the pleasure of doing a short presentation introducing Rangers from NSW and Queensland National Parks to the fascinating world of fungi during their two-day training course focused on the Gondwana Rainforests. It’s always thrilling to see that eureka moment when newcomers realize just how extraordinary fungi are and their critical role in our ecosystems.
Leratiomyces ceres, featured in the exhibition Fungi Forms, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Photo: Stephen axford
Exciting news for our UK fungi friends
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has new information boards featuring some fungi images by Stephen and other wonderful photographers. Stephen’s photographs will also be part of a fungi exhibition at the Gardens from 2 August until 8 December. Check it out.
The underside of an interesting polypore in Mimosa Rocks National Park.
Educational Initiatives
We’re in the final stages of completing the study guide for Follow the Rain, aiming for an October rollout for schools. If you’re interested in this initiative, please contact us, and we’ll forward your information to the Australian Teachers of Media. We’re also working on an international educational package set to launch in early 2025.
SUPPORT FUNGAL RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION
If you would like to support more research into, and conservation of, this fascinating, important, but understudied area of science, there are three organisations that we partner with, who work tirelessly in these areas.
AUSTRALIA - Big Scrub Conservancy Foundation
INTERNATIONAL - Fungi Foundation
Every little bit helps.
You can also find us on Instagram and YouTube - @Planet_Fungi.
Hope you enjoy this month’s updates! Happy fungi hunting! 🍄