What makes this image work is the balance between subject detail and background placement.
The gills underneath the mushroom become the main point of interest, revealed with a subtle upward light.
The background isn’t artificial… it’s built from natural light passing through the trees, creating soft highlights.
By slightly shifting the camera position, the shape and placement of those highlights change completely, allowing for a more intentional composition.
The diagonal lines in the mushroom and the surrounding elements help guide the eye while keeping everything balanced.

– Adaptalux Flexible LED Lights

Camera: Canon R5
Lens: RF 100mm Macro
Aperture: f/4
Focus stacking: ~35 images

I started by placing the camera slightly below the mushroom and pointing upward to separate it from the background and catch the distant highlights through the trees.
Since the background was slightly too bright, I underexposed by about 1 to 2 stops to keep it under control.
I placed light (1) on the left side to illuminate the stem and part of the cap, creating a subtle halo and helping guide the eye into the subject.
Then I added light (2) from underneath on the right side, pointing upward to reveal the texture of the gills and bring out that blade-like structure.
The key part of this shot was adjusting the camera position by just a few millimeters to control the background highlights created by light passing through the canopy.
I refined the composition until the highlights supported the subject without distracting from it.
I captured around 35 images at f/4 and stacked them in post to keep the subject sharp while maintaining a soft background.

It’s not just about what you’re looking at…
but everything happening around it.